#Yuki Kanamaru Discusses the Importance of Love in More Than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers

What if the person you’re in love with isn’t the person you were meant to be with? That’s a question More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers explores as a rom-com that has much more up its sleeve than its initial premise leads on. The original manga series by Yuki Kanamaru is receiving its first English release by Udon Entertainment later this summer, which inspired a Fall 2022 TV anime adaptation that is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Ani-One. 

In support of her work’s upcoming English publication, Kanamaru appeared as a guest at Anime Expo 2024, where she met her many fans in person and signed autographs at the Udon Entertainment booth.

Anime Trending had a chance to speak with Kanamaru at this year’s Anime Expo to discuss the inspiration behind her work, the complexities of the main characters, and the kind of impact she wants her manga to leave behind. 

Anime Trending: What was the inspiration behind More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers? When did the idea of the series first come to you?

Yuki Kanamaru: I’d always wanted to write using the theme of “cohabitation,” whether they are actually dating and lovers, or whether they are just pretending to be lovers or spouses, and similar stories and plots have existed before. But I thought, “What if in school, you had to…” All the students had to be part of this cohabitation. I thought it would be really funny, so I wanted to use this comedic element.

Multiple romance manga have gyaru and gals as the main characters. From your perspective, what makes it so appealing to have them as heroines for a series?

Yuki Kanamaru: As you probably know in Japan, women and girls are not necessarily forward-facing in terms of their emotions — they usually don’t express their feelings directly. Meanwhile, the appeal of the gal or gyaru is that they have their own opinions, and they’re not afraid to express them openly.

The appeal of a gal character is that they’re able to speak their minds, but when it comes to romance, no matter how frank they are about everything else, they might be a bit shy and embarrassed to express their feelings. It’s that gap between their regular self and their romantic self that I thought would be a lot of fun to explore, and I think that’s what other romantic comedies tend to explore.

What do you believe are the most important ingredients for a romantic comedy?

Yuki Kanamaru: Because it’s not just about romance or comedy, what’s really important for me is maintaining a fine balance between the two so that it doesn’t lean towards one or the other. I’m always trying to keep in mind what the reader’s reaction or emotional response would be, so I always try to keep them on their toes, and they never get bored.

When we’re first introduced to Akari, she seems just like any other popular person in class, but as the story goes on, we learn more about her personality and insecurities. How did you work to develop her character throughout the series?

Yuki Kanamaru: What’s interesting is that Shiori and Jiro have somewhat similar personalities, whereas Jiro and Akari are polar opposites. But it’s that polar opposite dynamic where they each react the way that the other doesn’t. 

What’s important for me in Akari’s character development is that she learns what Jiro has that she doesn’t have and learns to respect that. Initially, she’s very dismissive, but throughout the series, she’s like, “Oh, his kindness, his generosity — that’s very natural to Jiro.” She learns how to respect something in someone that she herself doesn’t have.

Jiro also grows as a character throughout the series after starting out awkward and introverted. How does he gain confidence in himself and manage his relationship with both Akari and Shiori?

Yuki Kanamaru: Jiro is initially always worried about what others think of him, especially quantifiable things like his test scores that can get him up or down, depending on the number. Yet, through people like Akari, he discovers parts of himself that are not necessarily quantifiable but are good traits – and the fact that she goes, “Oh, you’re really nice! Do you realize how nice you are?” 

Her acknowledging his consideration for others, his compassion, the fact that he just automatically, involuntarily apologizes right away, and even respecting and praising that, draws him out more and helps him build his confidence.

There also is a theme of “unrequited love” with characters like Tenjin and Hamano, so how did you explore that theme with the side characters in the series?

Yuki Kanamaru: I didn’t want to form tropes and wanted to emphasize that there is no one true way to love. Sometimes love means they love each other, and sometimes it means you love someone, but it’s not necessarily reciprocated. Whether unrequited or requited love fails or succeeds, there’s something to learn from it. No matter what form it takes and what the result is, it will always lead to personal growth and development. So that’s why I wanted to show love in all its different forms.

What manga did you read growing up, and were there any that influenced the direction of More than a Married Couple? 

Yuki Kanamaru: There’s a shojo manga series from the late 1990s and early 2000s called UFO Baby that I really enjoyed as a child. In terms of what may have influenced More Than a Married Couple, I would say less so manga or anime, but actually a lot of live-action romantic dramas. I get a lot of reactions from fans saying that reading or watching this series actually brought back nostalgic memories of the same series that influenced me. I learned a lot about how to express myself with dialogue from Bleach and drawing manga from Yakitake!! Japan. 

More Than a Married Couple was voted best romance show during our Fall 2022 Anime Awards. What were your overall thoughts on the anime adaptation, and how involved were you with the production?

Yuki Kanamaru: I think the number one thing I’m so grateful for from the anime adaptation is that so many more fans learned about More Than a Married Couple through the anime first. I would have never been able to meet them had it not been for the anime adaptation, so I’m very grateful for that. 

In terms of the anime production, I actually was quite heavily involved with it. For every single episode, they brought me in for the story adaptation, and I attended every single dubbing session, even though I’m a complete novice when it comes to that. They really treated me as an equal member of their creative team and not just as “the creator” who came in. They made me really feel like part of the family.

Was there anything you wanted the studio and animation staff to put extra effort or emphasis on?

Yuki Kanamaru: As you pointed out in the beginning, this is a very unique story and concept. Again, I just wanted to ensure that they maintained a very fine balance in the anime and not make it too comedic or romantic like I did in the manga. Emotional development is so important both to the story and to each character. I asked them to pay a lot of attention to the specific wording of the dialogue.

What has been the most fulfilling thing you’ve experienced as a manga artist? 

Yuki Kanamaru: Even though we live in an age of social media and the digital world, it’s really important for me to have face-to-face interactions and actual in-person meetings with my fans and readers and experience their responses and reactions firsthand. It’s been great getting actual physical fan letters to see what the readers feel as they read my work. As you know, creating manga is a very solitary lifestyle, so it’s important for me to maintain those social interactions with my actual readers. 

Oh WOW! Kanamaru-sensei drew us this INCREDIBLE shikishi! We’re so thrilled! Thank you, sensei! pic.twitter.com/Uk6KGg8U3x

— UDON Entertainment (@UdonEnt) July 5, 2024

Are there any challenges you’ve had to overcome while creating More Than a Married Couple?

Yuki Kanamaru: What many people may not know is that this series was not meant to be that long to begin with. In fact, it was only supposed to be three chapters — not even volumes! However, thanks to the positive reactions from the readers, my colleagues, and the publisher, it was decided that More Than a Married Couple would be turned into a full-blown series. 

That was in itself its own challenge because you can only do so much with three chapters, and all of a sudden, I was told, “Oh, you have an entire series!” So every month, I feel like I face the wall. The good news is that I can take a much deeper dive into plot and character development, but that also means having to find additional content to keep it exciting and fresh. So, my editor and I have to constantly keep our brains in rotation.

What kind of impression do you hope to leave with readers of the manga? Is there a message you want to convey to readers who might be in the same stage of life as the characters in the series? 

Yuki Kanamaru: I feel that love is universal and makes the world go around. It’s something that most, if not all, people experience directly or indirectly at least once in their lives. Whether it’s successful love or something someone considers a failure, whether they feel that they’re bad at romance or good at romance, what matters most is [that] we learn from that experience and grow from it. I hope that this manga can help people get more interested in terms of love and romance.

UDON Crew Booth #3725 with the incredible Yuki Kanamaru, author of More Than A Married Couple, But Not Lovers at #animeexpo2024 ! Thanks to everyone who visited our booth Saturday, it was amazing! Stop by for our last day today! #ax2024 @y_ pic.twitter.com/wdsB166XBh

— UDON Entertainment (@UdonEnt) July 7, 2024

When reading the manga, what stands out the most is dealing with loss — Jiro realizing his first love is not going to be the way that he thought it was, and dealing with the way that the emotions were expressed. 

Yuki Kanamaru: Thank you very much! Do you see yourself as a Jiro-type?

Not completely, but nowadays, there is so much pressure for young people to get it right the first time. Like, the first time you do anything, it has to work. If it’s not immediately successful, it’s a failure. So it was great watching somebody process the opposite of that and realizing that just because it didn’t work doesn’t mean that it’s all over. 

The way the art is expressed and the emotional displays help tap into the emotional core to get the reader to feel along with the characters. We took it as a lesson, and we hope other people do too!

Yuki Kanamaru: You’re making me tear up. I’m so happy to hear that’s coming through! Another lesson I’m really trying to impart in the series is that even though you might get advice and be influenced by others, whatever decision you make should be your decision and your decision alone. 

I want people to feel just like the characters in the series, [and are] able to come to their own conclusions, make their own decisions, and not be pulled into one direction or another by others. You can make your own decision.

The first English volume of More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers has been released on August 13, 2024. It is available on Amazon and other retailers. A special variant edition was made exclusively for the Anime Expo event and Udon Entertainment’s webstore. You can find this limited edition at the Udon Entertainment website. 

Special thanks to Udon Entertainment and Kadokawa Corporation for the interview opportunity. 

This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Interview conducted by Nico Monterosso and James Mizutani on July 5th, 2024. Questions contributed by Melvyn Tan, James Mizutani, and William Moo.

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