In every respect possible Kekkon suru tte, Hontou desu ka leveled up in its second episode, and it’s not like the premiere was a bad one. But this was on another level. Everything about the story got more interesting. The premise itself, both main characters, the supporting cast. And the themes underlying the series, which I freely confess hit home with me. It’s certainly a fit in the “horses for courses” sense but I can tell the difference between shows that fit my palate and ones that do so and are actually good. And 365 Days to the Wedding seems to be the latter.

About that whole Alaska/Siberia thing… Apparently the reason behind the confusion is that, in fact, in the original manga it was Siberia where the new branch office was opening. I can get why the mangaka thought that was a good gag, but with current events being what they are the anime staff presumably decided the joke wouldn’t be quite so amusing. So the change doesn’t bother me. It does make less sense for everyone to be horrified at the prospect of being sent to Alaska, which is in many respects a destination – the whole “exiled to Siberia” thing is obviously the joke. But it’s an understandable change.

That aside, things get deeper and more complicated on every level. As they should – even a fake marriage is not a straightforward thing. For Rika’s part, it seems she has an ex – someone named Ritsu, who texts her that he’s in Tokyo. There’s clearly a backstory here, as witness her “just leave me alone”. As for Takuya he’s still grinding over his inability to summon a fake proposal, and his consternation over putting on even a sham wedding ring. Then he gets a voice-modulated phone call telling him that the caller knows about his scheme, and their secret is doomed. We don’t find out who this is yet, but is seems likely to have set off the chain of events in the third act.

One thing is still clear – Rika is a higher-functioning loner in the social sense than Takuya. She’s had at least one relationship, it would be unsurprising if he’s had none. She’s much better at faking it, and always the one to take charge when social interactions are unavoidable. Such as when office colleague Gonda-san (Ochiai Fukushi) invites himself over to Takuya’s place to “discuss something”. I never thought Gonda was the guy who made the call (I actually thought maybe he was a closet cat lover and wanted to get advice on adopting a stray), but inviting yourself over to someone’s house is a big imposition. Especially an introvert’s.

This has been the year of the introvert in anime, and Kekkon suru tte is clearly another series that totally, authentically understands the experience. Gonda not only invites himself but two colleagues as well – including Komiya-san (Asumi Kana) the girl he’s sweet on. That would really piss me off – showing up with unannounced extra guests – and the stress this causes Rika and especially Takuya is something I totally vibe with. Rika is indeed there, and as usual has taken over damage control. She’s brought goods to decorate a “couples apartment”, and makes sure they go over their backstories. She even checks the status of Kama. And if you’ve ever had a nervous cat, you know how they hate strangers in the house (again, cats are basically introverts – which is why we tend to love them).

The get-together more or less goes okay. Everyone gets a little drunk, the secret is safe, Gonda admits his true feelings to Takuya. But this is where things kind of get deep if you ask me. In their way Rika and Takuya are a good match. They’re both “trees” (the perfect school play role for introverted kids). But they’re also both aromantic, as far I can tell. Rika talks about how the others see them as “shining” because they’re engaged, and how this is lost on her. She worries that she’s broken because of this, but Takuya reassures her. There are many ways to find the light to make you sparkle. Like your cat and best friend, or world maps with their associated dreams and ambitions.

Here’s where I really wonder where Kekkon suru tte, Hontou desu ka is headed with this pair. I won’t be upset if it winds up having them actually fall for each other – as I said, they’re nice people and they do seem compatible. But that would be very much the conventional route. It would be much bolder to have them wind up at peace with being aromantic. To argue that there are indeed many ways to define success and happiness beyond what society imposes on us, and that not being married or even wanting to doesn’t make you defective. It’s going to be fascinating to see which way the story takes it (obviously I suspect the former).

That third act drama gives the story another fascinating twist. First off I totally relate with Rika becoming a ninja avoiding having to deal with customers (been there, done that). But she womans up when she sees the walk-in is going to have to wait, and sits down to assist. Turns out this is Takuya’s father Kouichi (Genda Tesshou). He too is an introvert, obviously – the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Someone has tipped him off that his son got engaged (obviously the caller is the prime suspect), and he’s understandably alarmed. So much so that came up from Kumamoto (Aso is his hometown) to get to the bottom of it.

Kouichi’s description of an Aso wedding is hilariously terrifying for Rika. But the underlying truth of this is clear – even a marriage of convenience has consequences. So many that even a meticulous planner like Rika is going to miss some of them. Even setting aside the mysterious phone call this whole scenario is a lot more perilous than she’d convinced herself it was, and even if it’s nothing more than a marriage of convenience those consequences will refuse to be ignored. A good story works on multiple levels, and after this episode I’m convinced Kekkon suru tte has the potential to be a very good story indeed.