I have been waiting to watch As Long as We Both Shall Live ever since it came across my TikTok FYP last year. I watched the Anime last year when it came to NETFLIX. Someone told me the movie was finally up on YouTube so, I JUMPED at the chance to watch it. Let me tell you, it was not the best quality so, the movie was a little grainy for most of it. I still was able to enjoy the movie and understand what was going on. When and if it ever shows up on an official streaming site (I think the YouTube version was ripped from an illegal site so, it wasn't the best quality), I will definitely rewatch the movie.
So, just like my first VERSUS SHOWDOWN blogpost (which you can read about here), I will give a mini review of both the anime and the Japanese movie first. After, I will go into the VERSUS portion of the blogpost. This is where I will compare and contrast both the anime/live adaptions. I will talk about the differences I saw between the two as well as the things that stood out to me that were similar and/or the exact same. Now, I am almost positive that I will not name EVERY difference and EVERY similarity so, if you want to play along - give me that I might have missed. That all being said - THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS BLOGPOST FOR BOTH THE ANIME AND THE LIVE ADAPTION! I can't go into depth about these similarities and differences without revealing spoilers of both the anime and live adaption.
FIRST OFF: THE MINI REVIEWS - As I said, I watched the anime last year when it came to NETFLIX. I really didn't expect to watch the Japanese movie adaption. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that it was put on YouTube. So, I rewatched the anime again and then watched the movie.
MY HAPPY MARRIAGE ANIME - When I watched this anime last year, I gave it a 9/10 and upon my rewatch, I still gave it a 9/10. I am a sucker for this type of couple. I love the fantasy elements of it. I love that the relationship allowed both characters to grow and mature who were in the relationship. I love how the female lead grew more confident in herself, and her abilities and they became more equals as the anime progressed. The anime definitely needs a season 2 because it ended like they plan to do a Season 2. I think a Season 2 has been confirmed as well. There were also some unanswered questions that I had at the end of the anime.
AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE JMOVIE - I gave the Japanese movie adaption an 8.5/10. I liked the anime for certain reasons more over the movie, but I also liked the movie for certain aspects more than the anime. I ended up liking the anime just a little more. I thought this movie did the anime justice. I am unsure if the movie was following the anime or the manga/light novel more. The acting was good. I really saw the characters that I fell in love within the anime represented well in the live adaption. The leads had SUCH GOOD CHEMISTRY! I love that the movie added more to their chemistry that the anime just could not do. The movie did seem a bit rushed in certain parts and definitely did not show some parts that the anime did. I loved the CGI and fantasy parts of the movie and how the movie showed that aspect of the story.
OVERALL - I think I liked the anime just a bit more than the live adaption BUT there were some things I liked more from the live adaption than the anime. There were other things I liked more from the anime than the live adaption. I think both had their strengths and both had things that could have been better. It was a close versus for this one, I almost gave it the same score.
NOW THE VERSUS SECTION - I am first going to discuss the similarities and then dive into the differences between the anime and the Japanese live adaption.
SPOILERS AHEAD - YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN MY HAPPY MARRIAGE & AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE
Same Story (give or take) - This story is essentially Miyo's journey. It is the romance that is the focal point of the story. So, both the anime and the live adaption pretty much hit all of the key points of the plot and have the same story. There are some differences which I discuss in the differences below. Both the anime and live adaption cover the same amount of story with a few differences.
Same Characters - Since the story is pretty much the same, both the anime and the live adaption have the same characters. The live adaption tried to match the characters as much as they could with what they look like in the anime. Some of the characters were perfectly matched, others were not matched at all. Some side characters were given more of a background in the live adaption than the anime, but I think that was due to different concentrations to the story elements between the anime and the live adaptions specifically with the soldiers that Kiyoka Kudo worked with.
Costumes and Sets - Since the live adaption tried to match the anime a lot, most of the sets and costumes matched what was in the anime. There were a few minor changes between the two though. The pink kimono that Miyo buys at the shop that matches her mother's was not all pink in the live adaption but had some orange in it. Arata and Koji's Father did not look anything like their characters from the anime. The Saimori House had a different layout and look in the live adaption from the anime. All of these changes were minor though and nothing was STARKLY different between the two.
Fantasy Genre - Due to a lot of the characters having powers, both the anime and the live adaption are a part of the fantasy genre. Also, elements in the story supports the fantasy genre such as the monsters in the drama.
Both main leads had Character Growth - Due to the story being centered around Miyo, she obviously had a more drastic growth story arc. I think that Kiyoka also had some growth as well. He had to realize how his words could affect someone. He had to navigate being engaged to a woman who was like a woman he had never met before. He had to learn how to support Miyo in her own growth. This all took growth from him as well.
Same Miyo Character Growth - The story centered around Miyo. It was her story and her growth from this weak woman who was not confident and wanted to stay invisible. She was beaten down and walked all over by the abuse she took from her family. Through the story, she gained confidence and grew into a powerful and strong woman over time. She embraced her power and how strong she actually was as a character. I think she discovered and embraced and overcame this differently between the live adaption and the anime, but the same growth was there. It isn't over in either the anime or the live adaption either.
Both had Romantic Scenes but could have had more - There were plenty of romantic scenes in both the anime and live adaptions. There were lots of intimate hugs. There were small, sweet gestures. There were sweet and romantic conversations in more the anime and live adaption. In my opinion, there could have been more though. In both the anime and live adaption, our main couple were just meeting and getting to know each other. Their relationship progressed a lot but it still has a long way to go.
No Kiss Scenes - In the same sort of thing I mentioned in the bullet point above, there were no kiss scenes between our two leads both in the anime and the live adaption. I don't think there was enough time and progress in the story to allow it in both.
Both needs a Season 2/Second Movie - There is more story to tell between the main couple. As I said above, we didn't even get a kiss yet. We also haven't seen their wedding. There needs to be a Season 2 and a second movie to see more of this couple's story. I think there are 7 light novels and 3 manga that is the source material so, I am sure there is TONS of story that hasn't even been shown yet. I mean, we haven't even met the Kudo family yet.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MY HAPPY MARRIAGE & AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE
Where the story starts - One of the reasons the Live adaption seemed rushed is where it starts. The anime gave us background with Miyo's family. It showed us how cruel her family was and gave us insight into the life she lived before she entered the Kudo mansion. It allowed us to see a little more depth into Miyo's family which allowed us to have a deeper dislike for them later on when other events in the plot happened. We also got to see Miyo's relationship more with Koji before she left to go to the Kudo Family. The anime showed us that her family did not want her younger sister to enter the kudo family due to rumors that he was cold and mean. So, they sent Miyo because if someone was going to be thrown aside or abused in the kudo household, it would be her. In the Live adaption, the movie skipped all of this. It basically started with Miyo leaving her house to travel to the Kudo residence. So, the audience, in my opinion, wasn't given enough context to what was happening at the start of the movie. The live adaption also glossed over the world that this story took place in and the background with what was going on in the world with the monsters. The anime gives more context for that as well at the beginning.
Story Concentration - While both the live adaption and the anime centered around Miyo and her romance with Kiyoka, I felt the story highlighted or concentrated more on different things. I felt like the anime was very much concentrated on the romance of the leads. It highlighted things that were going on in the surrounding world with the Grotesqueries, but the concentration was really Miyo, her story and the lead couple and their romance/story. The Live adaption had a lot more story with Grotesqueries and what was going on in the world. It gave more of a dangerous and urgency to the apocalypse that could be happening in the world than the anime did.
The Grotesqueries - How the Grotesqueries, the monsters that Kiyoka Kudo the entire time in the anime and the live adaption were VERY different between the anime and the live adaption. I have not read the manga or light novels so; I don't know how they were described in the books. Int eh anime, the monsters pretty much resembled ghosts and acted as such. The ghosts could attack the humans. In the live adaption, they were strong like creatures who seemed to possess humans and use the humans as hosts. Pretty much like a parasite. They did not act or look like ghosts at all.
Ending - The endings to the anime and the live adaption was very different but it sort of had the same outcome when it came to Miyo and her journey. I think this had to do with the story concentration that I mentioned above as well as how the differences in the Grotesqueries that I highlighted. In the anime, the ending reflected more of the concentration more towards the leads' romance. The danger was emphasized with just Kiyoka Kudo being in trouble. Miyo had to overcome her own insecurities to save Kiyoka and him alone. There was an individual growth you saw from her in the anime ending because she had to use her power of going into people's dreams to go into Kiyoka's dreams and pull him out. Overcoming her own nightmares and fears at the same time. All of this was more of her saving Kiyoka and Kiyoka alone. The live adaption was the opposite. She still was saving Kiyoka but because the Grotesqueries possessed people in the live adaption, she also was saving all of them as well. Due to the live adaption having more of the concept of there is a war coming and humanity is in danger, more than the anime anyway, the ending for the live adaption had more at stake and more urgency. Miyo did not use her dream powers in the live adaption. She did however still showcase her power in being able to defeat the Grotesqueries just like the anime showed that. She put up a barrier or entered a different dimension where the humans could kill the monsters who had possessed the humans (just like in Kiyoka's dream) and get rid of them without harming the humans. The humans seem to be mind-controlled/sleeping so she could step in and help.
Miyo Power Manifestation - The anime explained Miyo's powers better than the Live adaption did in my opinion. We also didn't see all of her powers in both of the live adaption and the anime. The anime explains that Miyo has Dream Sight. Dream Sight can manifest in multiple ways. Miyo can affect people's minds. The anime explains that Her mother's family exists to fight other gifted people, not the Grotesqueries. She could control a gifted person's mind once she has mastered her gift. She can enter the dreams of any sleeping person, including her own, and manipulate their vision. It also allows her to see into the past and the future and even alter it through her dreams. We saw a little bit of the past and future sight int he anime when Miyo touched the cherry blossom tree. The live adaption sort of glosses over this. You understand a bit about Miyo's powers, but I think the anime explains it better and shows more of it.
Little Changes in Scenes/Characters - Overall, the story was the same, but you can spot small differences with scenes and characters. As I said above, Arata and Koji's father looked very different appearance wise between the anime and live adaption. The whole story where Kudo leaves Miyo at her mother's family house plays out very differently between the anime and live adaption. The anime has a duel, and the live adaption has none of that. When Kudo goes and saves Miyo from her stepmother and stepdaughter, the anime gave more context and background to that scene. Also, the live adaption showed that Miyo's father had a hand in the plot and he fount back. In the anime, he had no idea what was going on and was innocent in the whole thing. Teh scene of Miyo in the storage room with her stepmother and stepsister when they were trying to force her to give up the engagement also played out a little differently. What they did to her - torture wise, was different. The location of the Storage room was different. Where conversations happened were different as well between the anime and the live adaption. The was more depth given to the stepmother and stepsister and their stories in the anime than the live adaption gave them.
Explanation of Miyo's Mother/Backstory - Along the same lines, the anime gave more depth and story to Miyo's mother and her backstory. The live adaption sort of glossed over everything or didn't even mention things. The anime went into more detail about Miyo's mother sealing her powers away and why.
Families Explanation - On that same note, the anime gave more context and background to the families and why they exist. It explained more about the emperor and what his role was in all of this. It explained more of what the roles were between the families with powers and why they existed versus Miyo mother's family and why her family exists. The Live adaption mentioned some of this but not all of it.
Live Adaption left out Miyo's family and Abuse - Due to where the live adaption started, we didn't get to see much of how Miyo's family treated her while living in their house. We saw some snippets but I think the anime showed the audience more and gave more context. Miyo's younger sister was favored due to her having powers right away. The anime also explained why her stepmother hated Miyo so much due to her being the original love interest of her father but he was forced to marry Miyo's mother first. Anime just gives more context to all of this.
More emotions in the Live adaption - Listen, cartoons can only do so much. You still get that emotional attachment in the anime. You still fall in love with the characters and root for them. You still love the romance that happens between the lead couple. I just think because the live adaption couple had such amazing chemistry between them, the romance has more emotions and investment behind them. Also, maybe because the live adaption is written in a way that world seems to be coming to an end that there is more emotion behind the main couple and their feelings as well.
My Advice: Watch Anime First - I would advise people to watch the anime before the movie. You will have more context and understand the story more. You know the characters already which allows you to become more attached to the characters in the movie and anime. You will just understand what is going on in the movie a lot better if you watch the anime first. You don't need too though. You can still enjoy the movie if you watch the movie first.
Overall, I am really glad I was finally able to watch the movie even if it was a little grainy. It allowed me to appreciate both and revisit characters and a story that I loved in the anime. I NEED A SEASON 2 FOR BOTH THE ANIME AND THE MOVIE! I still like the Anime a little more than the movie but mostly because I think the anime gives more details and plot points to the audience.
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