The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife

Episode 6

It's always nice to have a show with enough confidence to feature an entire episode where the main couple is barely the main focus. Outside of a cute little hot pot segment that maybe can be seen as a setup for something more intimate down the road, this episode is primarily about our supporting cast. In fact, this episode was about members of the supporting cast whom I have been wondering the most about these past couple of episodes. Despite that, the theme of honest communication and relatability is still strongly prevalent throughout

I'm glad that this episode gave us a proper follow-up to Karma and Lights' relationship after she had to disappear last time. I'm very happy that the explanation initially led more into the fantasy side of the show, which was always in the background. Getting the history between light and dark elves was nice, but I like that the show basically says that's all just a front for the real issue.

The idea of Karma's curse affecting the baby originally made sense on paper, and considering how he used that curse in the last episode, it was a great little bit of deception. It turns out Light was genuinely worried that Karma would run away from the relationship if he found out she was pregnant. This isn't because he doesn't love her, but because she was worried that his fear and anxieties would just be that much stronger. You could argue that there was a little bit of prejudice in that decision, or at the very least, it's a mix of general prejudice that still stems from her feelings about his abilities and personal fears.

Being in a relationship and starting a family is a huge responsibility that not everybody can handle, and Karma showed signs that he might not always be the most reliable. But I like the fact that this episode establishes that he has come a long way from how she might've originally seen him, and apologizing for not having faith in him. It felt very earned. After all, she was worried about him walking away from her, and yet she was the one who walked away from him because SHE was scared. Despite only taking up about half the episode, there's a lot of information and history that is revealed. It ends up coming together in a very emotionally satisfying way. These two were able to see past their own insecurities and truly trust their partners.

Speaking of insecurity, let's talk about Jarashi. Despite the fact that she comes off as such a strong and brazen personality, it is a little interesting that this episode reveals she has a pretty deep-rooted insecurity about her appearance. I like that her wearing clothing that fully covers her body was actually a legitimate plot point here because she is at least partially embarrassed or ashamed of her fur patterns. There are a lot of layers to the conversation she has with Yakou regarding whether or not she should dye her fur to get rid of the patterns because she feels that the patterns clash with a lot of the cute clothing she wants to wear. I like how she relates her situation to Yakou's, even though they are definitely not the same thing. Her just straight-up asking Yakou if she was ever jealous of other people who can see is a bit insensitive, but I like the response to it. This idea that it's hard to be jealous of something that you never were going to understand in the first place, because you never had that experience, is very indicative of the entire show. Everyone's experiences are different based on how they were born and what they had to work with. There's no point in being jealous about something that you can't have or of someone that you aren't, because all it does is distract from the fact that you can still lead a happy and fulfilling life as you are.

The solution that Jarashi comes to by the end of the episode was very sweet. She finds solace in the fact that she is not the only one who sometimes has trouble finding clothing that matches her patterns. She ends up realizing that she can dress up and coordinate outfits that are specifically unique to her, and she ends up getting exactly what she wants without needing to compromise how she looks. It's a very empowering episode that showcases how there's always a way for us to be happy if we find people that we can truly trust and confide in. Sometimes, it's nice to confide in people or be with people who are on the complete opposite side of who we are. Other times, people do need a more relatable approach. The way the show plays with ideas of identity, community, and relatability is handled with a lot of maturity, but it never feels like the show is trying to invalidate any particular experiences. It still maintains that cozy vibe, even when it's willing to talk about heavy things, because at the end of the day, this is just a show about people from different walks of life trying to find their own form of happiness.

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The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.