Creating a Multi-Volume Rom-Com Manga from a One-Shot

ANN's coverage of Anime Expo 2024 sponsored by Yen Press and Ize Press!

More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers certainly caught me by surprise when it aired back in 2022. Within its unique premise is a story about love and looking past our preconceptions about each other. At Anime Expo 2024, Anime News Network sat down and spoke with the original manga creator, Yūki Kanamaru. Here, she provided insight into some behind-the-scenes info about the development of the series, her thoughts on the anime adaptation, and what she hopes to see from the franchise in the future.

More Than a Married Couple has a more unique premise compared to what you see in a typical romantic comedy. I have to ask, how did you conceive this narrative setup of students practicing what it's like to be married? How much thought went into making them feel believable, like the school rules or layout of the characters' living situation?

Yūki Kanamaru: So, I always wanted to draw a series that involved lovers or friends cohabitating, along with the concept of students who are dating. Cohabitating is actually a fairly common concept in manga. In this case, it is a class that you have to attend. I thought forcing all the students to live as pairs would be a really comedic element.

Almost all the characters in the main cast of Married Couple are going through changes. Some find love, some let go of it, and others are tortured by it. Is there anybody in the main cast whose journey you particularly identified with?

KANAMARU: So I don't know if I could choose. I mean, all of the character developments are fascinating to me and fun to draw. The character developments are positive when the characters become happier or are celebrating. But when the characters are going through a painful period or sad, I very much sympathize and empathize with them. So, I want to treasure every character's development as I go. So it's really hard to pick just one.

I've always wondered about a hypothetical situation. If Jiro and Shiori ended up paired at the beginning of the series, how would their relationship develop?

KANAMARU: In terms of Jiro and Shiori specifically, they're childhood friends. They've always been childhood friends. Their relationship has been very stable, but also, in that sense, very stagnant. So that itself is like an obstacle or wall they'd have to break down. If they could break it down, their relationship would have developed further.

Do you think there still would've been a chance for Jiro and Akari to grow closer without their living situation?

KANAMARU: So, regarding Jiro and Akari in reverse, it depends on what else would have happened in the story. Suppose there were situations where they would have confronted each other head-on without having been paired up, and they could learn the truth about each other instead of just assuming things based on each other's appearances or actions. In that case, I think they would have become closer. They could have had the type of relationship they already have in the story. It really depends, but there's a chance it could have happened.

How did you feel when it was first announced that Married Couple would get an anime adaptation? Did you hope the animation staff captured anything specific about your series?

KANAMARU: I was equally ecstatic and nervous when I first found out. So, as you probably picked up from both the manga and the anime, part of what was very important to me with the series was that the emotions were portrayed authentically and very honestly. Showcasing love as an almost pure emotion was very important to me. One of the things I definitely stressed to the anime production staff is that I didn't want just superficial or surface treatment of those emotions. I wanted them to do the deep dive the same way it happens in the manga, and I'm pleased that it was fulfilled.

Was the current narrative direction always intended? Were there any changes to the story as you were writing it? If so, what were they, and why were those changes made?

KANAMARU: Actually, the true backstory is that this was never supposed to be a very long series! It was supposed to be around three chapters in total. Not volumes, chapters! So even though I had a kind of general idea of the story, a lot of what you see even in volumes one and two are things that I had to come up with after I was told, “Actually, no, we're gonna make a series out of it.” Especially when we look at the story that continues in the manga after what's already covered in the anime, I really had to put on my thinking cap and come up with new ideas.

I never would have guessed that! Honestly, it's a very progressive series.

KANAMARU: Thank you! This series is as long as it is because of the fans and how much they love it. So I'm very grateful to the fans!

During season one's production, were there any scenes or moments you hoped got specific attention?

KANAMARU: In the anime, it's the fireworks show that happened in episode seven. Originally, we were thinking about using that as the last episode of the anime. But then it was decided that we move it to the middle of the season. So, particular attention was paid to how to direct the voice actors to perform the dialogue because it's such a pivotal moment!

Are there any scenes that you hope get animated in the future?

KANAMARU: In volume seven of the manga, there is a particular scene where Jiro and Akari face a crisis as a couple. I received a lot of reactions from the fans about how they all cried when they read it because it really focuses on the interactions between these two during this crisis. So, I feel that it's a moment that reflects the series as a whole. I hope that scene does make it in if there is more anime.

I still find it so interesting that this was never intended to be a long series. You don't have to go into specifics, but do you already have an ending in mind for the series?

KANAMARU: My editor, Mr. Kawamata, and I have already discussed how we want the story to end. Now, the challenge is to actually get there. The path the characters and I will make to get to that ending has already been predetermined. But I think what's most important to me is to preserve the fact that each character ends up making their own life decisions for themselves. They decide what they want to do and how they want to change their lives with or without being influenced by others. So, each character will grow up by finding what's important to them.

Finally, do you hope the readers will be left with any particular feelings?

KANAMARU: As you know, love is universal, right? You find love everywhere in the world. Love makes the world go around. So, for me, what's important is that everyone finds what's important to them! What does love mean to them? Are they able to feel fulfilled? In fact, I actually had a Japanese fan tell me recently, “Thanks to your manga, I was able to start going out and have fun with my wife more,” and it just really touched me. So, I hope fans can walk away with more thoughts like that after reading or watching!