The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife – Episode 1

What’s it about? Yako, a visually impaired woman, works as the assistant to Tonome, an invisible man. Their easygoing relationship takes a turn from the professional towards the personal when Tonome asks Yako out on a date and she nervously yet gladly accepts.

A romance between a woman who can’t see and a man who can’t be seen could be a very corny concept, but this first episode is so charming that I’m not that worried about it fumbling. Things could get dicey: the story’s world is full of aliens, monsters, beast people, and at least one invisible guy, and we’ve seen plenty of fantasy series across the years that use supernatural “others” as a stand-in for marginalized groups or a metaphor for marginalization in general. However, having a protagonist who is herself an ordinary human of a marginalized identity changes the dynamic and gives us a more realistic anchor amidst the supernatural shenanigans. I’d refrain from stamping Yako with “good representation” or “bad representation” because, you know, we love nuance; but I’d say The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife is off to a decent start with regards to its heroine and the supernatural romance (and marriage!) that the title foreshadows.

While I’m not visually impaired myself and can’t comment on Yako’s portrayal through that lens, I think the show does a nice job with her. She feels like a character (indeed, a protagonist) in her own right and not a tokenistic inclusion, and the series’ creators have clearly considered both the macro and micro details of how she might navigate the world. She uses an adapted keyboard when she’s at her laptop, keeps the lights off in her apartment, has an audio alert tell her when her bath is ready, and is an avid reader of audiobooks (the scene where she’s gushing about the latest romance she’s listening to is genuinely so sweet—I love it when a character has a hobby to nerd out over, and I love the to see the series asserting that of course audiobooks “count” as reading).

Closeup of Yako, superimposed over an image of her younger self, holding a cane in one hand and her phone up to her ear in the other. Subtitle text reads: I became a keen listener when I was little.

Her blushy naivete about the world of dating might make her come off a bit younger than she is, but she’s far from infantilized. She’s wholly independent and her co-workers make sure to accommodate her without treating her like she needs constant help; for example verbally letting her know where they put her cup of tea rather than leaving her to feel around and find it. When Tonome offers to guide her to the train station after their date, it’s not out of any worry that she couldn’t find her own way there—just good old-fashioned “take my arm” gentlemanly behavior. There are a few moments that show how the world is a little harder to navigate, like Yako tripping over a bike that was sticking unexpectedly out into a path, but these serve to highlight accessibility issues rather than suggesting that Yako struggles and is challenged by her disability.

The one aspect I raised my eyebrows at was the notion that Yako has amplified hearing and sense of smell to compensate for her lack of sight; I believe there is some realism to this, but it also risks playing into the cliché of blind people with heightened senses and the associated “disability superpower” tropes. In context it’s not quite a superpower, but it does give her a knack for finding Tonome even when he’s fully invisible and no one else notices he’s there, something that comes in handy at the episode’s climax and, naturally, serves as a point of intimacy between them.

Yako and Tonome sitting on a couch together. Yako looks flustered, Tonome is invisible and only the shape of his suit can be seen. Subtitle text reads: B-Because I can't see, my auditory and olfactory perception is better than most!

If the title of the show is to be believed, this episode shows the first steps towards lifelong romance and marriage for Yako and Tonome, and honestly, I’m on board to see how that all pans out. They have a sweet dynamic rooted in what feels like genuine respect and tenderness towards one another, and although the whole “I can’t see/no one can see me” stuff was clearly an inciting incident in them talking to each other more closely, it feels like just one aspect of their relationship rather than the core of it. It’s not as if Tonome is interested in Yako just because she can always find him; he clearly connects with her on a much more human, everyday level and wants to get to know her more.

He’s nice, but not in a “nice guy” in heavy scare-quotes way; he genuinely seems quite debonair and caring. Like, he’s taking her to a place where you make and brew your own custom tea blend! What a classy gig, and we know that he and Yako share a love of tea, so he’s picking up on their mutual interests instead of just going with clichés! Romance, truly! Supernatural elements aside, you might want to check this out if you’re just hungry for a refined romance between sensible adults, rather than the much-more-common high school romp, with the admittedly massive bonus of having a disabled woman as the heroine being swept (respectfully) off her feet. I’m definitely giving this one at least the three-episode try to see if it continues to charm me as much as this premiere did.

There’s also Jarashi, a charismatic yet goofy bobcat woman who also works in the detective agency. There wasn’t really room to talk about her before now, thematically, but please know: she is also very much a point in the show’s favor. I’ll be coming back to check on her again, too!