ANIME REVIEW | A Beautiful Love Seen Through the Eyes of an "Invisible Man"
How does one describe a show like The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife? An adaptation of Iwatobinewko’s web manga by Project No. 9 (Love After World Domination, My Tiny Senpai), the show has me often grinning ear-to-ear as I watch the love grow between the characters Akira Tounoume (Yohei Azakami) and Shizuka Yakou (Yuka Nukui). Almost every time I pop on the next episode, my heart is filled with joy and warmth, in a similar way last year’s Anne Shirley did. Perhaps that leads me to how one can describe The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife: wholesome and endearing.
The world of The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife is one filled with regular humans, monsters, and those in-between. Akira is an invisible man, who uses his skills to be a solid detective. As for Shizuka, while she’s a normal human, she does have a slight flaw: the inability to see. However, because of her means of sensing others’ presence, Shizuka is able to know when Akira’s in the room, working as his secretary and growing close to becoming lovers.
Much of the show focuses on how Shizuka and Akira take on the world on a daily basis. With Shizuka, she’s able to function completely by herself, thanks to her skills with chores, work, and memory. Nevertheless, there are times when life will throw down a speed bump to remind her to be a bit more cautious. For Akira, while he’s very much respected in his field, he knows that being an invisible man may make for some challenges in his life. Perhaps it’s that element that draws Akira to Shizuka, as they often help one another with their different conundrums.
And thus, a romance blooms within The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife. (I mean, considering the title of the series, we all know where it’s bound to be going!) They go out to dinner, spend quality time away from each other’s homes, and go on vacations and day trips to truly get to know one another. In some cases, each meetup is a learning experience, as both Shizuka and Akira discover how their significant other conquers and puts up with the struggles of their daily lives.
Considering both aren’t as knowledgeable in the art of romance, it’s a good thing that both Akira and Shizuka have a solid friend circle. Beast girl Luna (Riho Sugiyama) often gives a little advice to Shizuka, whilst also offering a tip here and there to Akira. Daichi (Masaya Fukunishi) assists Akira with his detective work and some of his love concerns, with his husband Kousuke (Junya Enoki) sometimes being a good help to Shizuka. As for the dark elf Karma (Tomohiro Ono), well, he’s got his own problems, but he can be a helping hand from time to time!
Perhaps what makes The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife such a lovely watch is how kind it is to its characters and its audience. Although this is a series filled with different kinds of people, all of them come off as being very relatable in one way or another. And the world they all live in is one that doesn’t judge people by their looks or who they love, but rather by their actions. While there are times when Akira or Shizuka experience a bit of bigotry, they overcome these moments with one another’s support.
The show never talks down to the audience with the messages it delivers; it pulls them up and sees them eye to eye. Along with The Demon King’s Daughter is Too Kind!!, this anime is reminding us to always take a more heartfelt route than one of conflict. But it also goes to great lengths to showcase the power of love itself, as we witness Akira and Shizuka grow closer in many beautiful ways. They see each other for their character, and never for their disability.
Nukui and Azakami have tremendous vocal chemistry as Shizuka and Akira, respectively. Where Shizuka’s voice is cute and filled with character, Akira’s is more laidback and deeper. And yet, whenever they are deep in the trenches of love, they often find ways to switch their vocal characteristics in ways that feel both real and humorous. Trust me when I say that these two are a couple that anyone can easily root for.
Visually, Project No. 9 does a wonderful job capturing the people and world of The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife. When in nature, the trees and rivers have a watercolor-like look to them, whilst the town these characters reside in has a nice classical feel to it. Shizuka is drawn with such beauty, with even her plain-and-tall looks coming off as enchanting. However, whenever the animation team brings Akira to life, his movement, the way his clothes are worn, and his handling of objects is pretty darn spectacular.
Composer Ruka Kawada (Kin-Iro Mosaic, The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague) knows how to set the mood with her lovely soundtrack. It’s in the romantic melodies where the score shines at its brightest, as it elevates the emotional elements to greater heights. Mao Abe delivers one of this season’s best opening themes with the folksy “Ding-Dong”, which could easily be mistaken for a Japanese Norah Jones song. The end theme “Hoshimegane” by Kaori Ishihara is more on the poppier side, but it fits well with the positivity this show is brimming with.
The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife makes me wish we got more shows like this each season. With so many anime focusing on pre-college romances, it’s a big breath of fresh air when one about adults comes around. It helps that every character here feels genuine and grounded, with their relatable situations lacking the awkwardness one feels when watching a junior high/high school rom-com past their twenties. Hopefully, if enough people watch The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife, then we can get more romance anime about adults in the near future.
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The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife can be viewed on Crunchyroll and has been licensed by Crunchyroll. Episodes 1-10 were observed for review. Promotional consideration provided by Crunchyroll.
