Waiting a week for the next episode feels like a personal attack, but waiting for a new season can be downright excruciating. And when it comes to More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers, the struggle has been real.
It’s been more than two years since this delightful rom-com graced our screens during the Fall 2022 season. Two years! Back then, More Than a Married Couple held its own against juggernauts like Chainsaw Man, Spy x Family, and Bleach. With a solid 7.5 rating on MyAnimeList, it proved that you don’t need over-the-top action or supernatural powers to captivate an audience. All you need is a couple of awkward teenagers pretending to be married. (And maybe a love triangle for good measure.)
The anime, based on a manga series that currently spans 72 chapters, follows the misadventures of Jirou Yakuin and Akari Watanabe who are forced to participate in a school program where they have to act as married couples. The program is designed to foster better understanding and compatibility between students. However, Jirou and Akari are not initially interested in each other; Jirou has feelings for another girl named Shiori Sakurazaka, who is paired with someone else, while Akari wants to be with her own crush.
In the final episodes of the anime, emotional complexities intensify. Jirou and Akari, through various trials and shared experiences, begin to develop genuine feelings for each other. The series concludes on a somewhat open note where both Jirou and Akari acknowledge their growing affection and understanding for one another, but it leaves their relationship’s final status a bit ambiguous, hinting at the possibility of further development beyond what viewers have seen.
When is More Than a Married Couple releasing?
Well, as of July 2024, there’s been no official word from Studio Mother, the masterminds behind the anime for season 2. They have been keeping themselves busy with other projects, like the recently released As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World in April 2024. They are also working on Be Forever Yamato: Rebel 3199, set to premiere this very month.
With Studio Mother’s hands full, it’s unlikely we’ll see a sequel to our beloved romance anime this year. But don’t lose hope just yet! Anime adaptations are often created to promote their source material, and with 72 chapters of the manga ready and waiting, there’s still a chance for a second season.