Sun Tzu and Anime: Fuufu Ijou, Koibito Miman Character Analysis
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers Character Analysis
The holidays are here, so let’s celebrate with more of Sun Tzu’s incredible wisdom rating another legendary anime cast.
As a quick refresher, here’s how the rating system works. Sun Tzu cited Five Essential Factors to be Mastered for Victory: Morality, Weather, Terrain, Good Leadership, and Preparation. All under consideration can earn 0-10 points in each category. However, he also cited Five Fatal Failings of Leadership: Recklessness, Cowardice, A Hasty Temper (Anger for simplicity), Delicacy of Honor (DOH), and Caring Too Much About the Troops (Over-caring). All under consideration can lose 0-10 points in each category. At the end, the scores are tallied, and the results reveal how effective a character is in Sun Tzu’s eyes, with the best aiming for 40 or better.
This time, we’re looking at a true treasure: the primary cast from More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers. As always, to keep things fair, we’ll analyze them in the order they were formally introduced.
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Character Analysis: Akari Watanabe
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: Akari Watanabe
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: Akari Watanabe
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 7 | She’s very caustic initially, but is a really great person and very compassionate, something she famously showed by secretly asking Shiori to check on Jiro when he was sick. |
| Weather | 5 | She’s okay, yet still got caught out in the rain during the beach arc, plus also didn’t notice the heat when she and Jiro were hiding from Shiori and Mei. |
| Terrain | 5 | She’s pretty observant, but has a serious clumsy streak, like when Minami accidentally tripped into her in the gym, or in her many accidental clinches with Jiro. |
| Good Leadership | 6 | She’s very assertive at first, but her edge slowly slips away over time, leaving her jumping between follower and lone wolf at the end. |
| Preparation | 3 | She’s an incredible cook and very fashion-savvy. However, she nearly blew off a remedial test, never checked Minami’s preferences when trying to make a bento for him, and never caught her BFF’s text about the chocolates she’d received containing alcohol. |
| Total | 26 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. She constantly underestimates others, particularly Jiro, and is astoundingly impulsive, usually when she’s mad or embarrassed, probably the most infamous example being when she tried to earn points by asking Jiro to kiss her on the cheek…only to tease him until he kissed her on the lips instead. |
| Cowardice | -8 | Serious red flag. She’s secretly extremely insecure, something she confessed to when she told Jiro to call her by her first name when she didn’t have any confidence; also, she melted down when the power went out, is terrified of spiders, and completely shut down when her bento plan failed. |
| Anger | -8 | Serious red flag. She’s got a violent temper, one that’s easily triggered, usually by something Jiro says or doesn’t do, like when she lost it during the beach arc trying to get him to admit he’d miss her. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -8 | Serious red flag. She’s very vain, both with fashion and trying to get Jiro’s attention. Worse, she’s very proud, often ignoring suggestions or advice until it’s too late. |
| Over-caring | -10 | Epic red flag. She’s initially infatuated with Minami, yet soon falls completely in love with Jiro, so much so the thought of losing him leaves her twisted up inside. |
| Total | -44 |
Final Assessment
Score: -18 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Shiori Sakurazaka
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: Shiori Sakurazaka
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: Shiori Sakurazaka
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 10 | She’s an angel: sweet, generous, and incredibly empathetic to all, particularly Jiro. |
| Weather | 4 | She’s okay, yet is pretty frail, plus she gets caught out in the rain during the beach and vacation arcs. |
| Terrain | 4 | She’s a tad clumsy, not to mention not always observant, like when she got beaned by a soccer ball during gym. |
| Good Leadership | 3 | She’s okay with advising Jiro on getting along with Akari, but is ultimately more follower than leader. |
| Preparation | 5 | She’s a great student, cook, and amazing at teaching Mei, yet her naivete leaves her winging everything else. |
| Total | 26 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -8 | Serious red flag. She constantly underestimates others, especially Jiro and Mei, and she’s very impulsive, most often when she’s embarrassed, like when she flinched away from Jiro when cleaning the classroom. |
| Cowardice | -8 | Serious red flag. She’s very timid, something that repeatedly costs her when trying to confess her feelings; moreover, she’s terrified of bugs and the dark. |
| Anger | 0 | She doesn’t get angry, so no worries here. |
| Delicacy of Honor | 0 | She’s very modest, so no worries here either. |
| Over-caring | -9 | Major red flag. She’s been in love with Jiro all her life, something that drives nearly everything she does. |
| Total | -25 |
Final Assessment
Score: 1 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Jiro Yakuin
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: Jiro Yakuin
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: Jiro Yakuin
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 8 | He’s a tad awkward, but at heart is a great person, one of his better moments being when he found Akari crying and said, “You’re home. Welcome back.” |
| Weather | 4 | He’s observant, yet gets caught out in the rain a few times, then later got sunburned and caught heat stroke in the beach arc. |
| Terrain | 5 | He’s okay sometimes, yet has a huge clumsy streak, like when he fell in the tub while cleaning the bathroom. |
| Good Leadership | 4 | He steadily improves throughout the series, but is still more follower than leader at the end. |
| Preparation | 6 | He knows his game cold, did a great job teaching Akari math, and learned the restaurant kitchen requirements quickly, yet ultimately wings everything else. |
| Total | 27 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. He constantly underestimates everyone, particularly girls, and has a nasty habit of impulsively saying the wrong thing, like when he botched trying to comfort Akari after her failed bento. |
| Cowardice | -9 | Major red flag. He’s extremely wishy-washy, something that usually leaves him waffling in the heat of the moment…a problem that’s never truly tempered regardless of experience. |
| Anger | -6 | He’s got a temper, one that’s usually triggered by Akari’s teasing or when he’s embarrassed; he also infamously snapped when he and Akari were hiding in the beach arc. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -4 | He’s a tad vain at times, namely with his game, yet not enough to really worry. |
| Over-caring | -10 | Epic red flag. His overlapping feelings for Shiori and Akari constantly jab at him, making him even more indecisive than ever toward the end. |
| Total | -39 |
Final Assessment
Score: -12 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Kamo Sadaharu
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: Kamo Sadaharu
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: Kamo Sadaharu
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Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 5 | He’s got some good points, yet his selfishness and twisted nature are rather disturbing, particularly around Sachi and Natsumi. |
| Weather | 7 | He’s pretty good, yet still got caught in the rain during the beach arc. |
| Terrain | 4 | He’s capable, but very clumsy, like when he inadvertently barged in on Shiori and Jiro when they were on the verge of confessing to each other. |
| Good Leadership | 6 | He’s got good insight, like when he rigged the Test of Courage so Shiori and Akari would be partnered with Jiro and Minami respectively, yet often goes rogue when trying to impress Sachi and Natsumi. |
| Preparation | 5 | He’s good at planning the beach trek, but mostly wings everything else. |
| Total | 27 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. He frequently underestimates his peers, plus his impulsive tendency to overreact often weird others out. Worse, he’s extremely careless, such as when he made a fool of himself trying to impress Sachi and Natsumi when taking out the trash. |
| Cowardice | -5 | He’s a tad indecisive, not to mention gets nervous when close to any girl. |
| Anger | -4 | He’s got a slight temper, but not enough to really worry. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -8 | Serious red flag. He’s very cocky, as well as very vain, something that repeatedly costs him, one infamous such moment being when he lectured Jiro in the restaurant…only to inadvertently give Shiori a false impression. |
| Over-caring | -8 | Serious red flag. His odd obsession with Akari, Sachi, and Natsumi drives him to do the weirdest things, plus occasionally alienates both himself and others. |
| Total | -35 |
Final Assessment
Score: -8 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Sachi Takamiya
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: Sachi Takamiya
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: Sachi Takamiya
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 7 | She’s a very loyal friend, yet has a huge selfish streak and slightly caustic nature, like when she was complaining about her exes with Natsumi in the bath. |
| Weather | 7 | She’s good, but still got caught out in the rain during the beach arc. |
| Terrain | 6 | She’s capable, yet got scolded for not paying attention in gym class, then later misinterpreted Jiro and Shiori’s moment in the nurse’s office. |
| Good Leadership | 7 | She’s very assertive and great at manipulation, particularly with getting Terafune to do things, yet tends to overreact when things misfire, like when Minami didn’t come to the festival. |
| Preparation | 5 | She’s got some good planning skills, but mostly winds up winging everything else. |
| Total | 32 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -8 | Serious red flag. She often underestimates Akari’s sensitivity, and has a bad habit of impulsively blurting things out, one infamous example being when she went off on a diatribe over the intimacy of some couples in the marriage practical. |
| Cowardice | -1 | She gets nervous a few times, yet not enough to worry. |
| Anger | -7 | Slight red flag. She’s a hothead, plus easily triggered, most often by Terafune, like when he got distracted staring at Akari at the café. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -7 | She’s very vain, plus very cocky, something that often appears during her chats with Akari and Natsumi, as well as when scolding Terafune at the festival. |
| Over-caring | -5 | She worries about Akari, something that steadily worsens as the latter becomes increasingly torn between Minami and Jiro. |
| Total | -28 |
Final Assessment
Score: 4 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Natsumi Ohashi
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: Natsumi Ohashi
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: Natsumi Ohashi
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 9 | She’s very sweet, albeit a tad bubble-headed, something she lost no time proving in the festival and beach arcs. |
| Weather | 7 | She’s observant, yet still got caught in the rain at the Test of Courage. |
| Terrain | 6 | She’s okay, but her goofing off in gym class got everyone scolded; she’s also a tad clumsy at times. |
| Good Leadership | 3 | She’s good at prompting Akari, yet her non-assertiveness and naivete make her more follower than leader. |
| Preparation | 7 | She’s got some nice improv skills, like when she spotted the festival poster and saw the chance to get Akari and Minami together, plus managed to catch Terafune off-guard at the beach. However, she usually wings everything else. |
| Total | 32 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -9 | Major red flag. She frequently underestimates others, particularly Minami, and is extremely impulsive, like when she goofed off at the festival without noticing how uncertain Akari was. |
| Cowardice | 0 | She’s very bold, so no worries here. |
| Anger | 0 | She doesn’t really get angry, so no worries here either. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -7 | Slight red flag. She’s very vain, plus a tad cocky, such as when she teased Akari over Shiori’s stealing Minami. |
| Over-caring | -5 | She cares a lot for her friends, namely Akari, whom she gets more concerned about as the series progresses. |
| Total | -21 |
Final Assessment
Score: 11 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)
Character Analysis: Minami Tenjin
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: Minami Tenjin
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: Minami Tenjin
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 6 | He’s a great person at heart, but his failure to reveal his secret, unrequited love caused a lot of needless heartache. |
| Weather | 7 | He’s very capable due to his athleticism, yet still got caught in the rain during the beach arc. |
| Terrain | 8 | He’s got a keen eye, but has a slight clumsy streak, like when he tripped on top of Akari in the gym storeroom. |
| Good Leadership | 5 | He’s got some nice skills, namely when helping Terafune get a job and consoling Shiori, yet his indecisiveness makes him more lone wolf than leader. |
| Preparation | 6 | He’s good at training others and improvising in a pinch, but ends up winging virtually everything else. |
| Total | 32 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -9 | Major red flag. He badly underestimated Akari’s crush and the agony she endured because of it, plus he carelessly neglected Terafune’s crush on her during the beach arc. |
| Cowardice | -8 | Serious red flag. His crippling insecurity over his secret crush leaves him full of doubt, as well as reluctant to face moving on. |
| Anger | 0 | He doesn’t get angry, so no worries here. |
| Delicacy of Honor | 0 | He’s very modest, so no worries here either. |
| Over-caring | -10 | Epic red flag. His secret crush destroyed his relationship with his older brother, as well as numbed most of his personal life. |
| Total | -27 |
Final Assessment
Score: 5 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Mei Hamano
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: Mei Hamano
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers: Mei Hamano
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Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 9 | She’s a wonderful person: a stalwart friend, very caring, and extremely empathetic, like when she gently turned down a girl’s love declaration, then held her while whispering her name to ease the sting. |
| Weather | 8 | She’s very capable, given her athleticism, yet still got caught in the rain during the beach arc. |
| Terrain | 8 | She’s good, but misinterpreted Jiro and Akari’s hiding on the beach as a ghost due to the darkness. |
| Good Leadership | 7 | She’s got great potential, namely with her attempts to get Shiori and Jiro together, although she sometimes pushes a little too hard. |
| Preparation | 7 | She can plan well, and is great at asking for advice from Shiori, yet still wings many other things. |
| Total | 39 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -7 | Slight red flag. She constantly underestimates Shiori’s shyness, and is a tad impulsive, usually when she’s nervous or angry, like when she vented on Natsumi and Sachi in the bath. |
| Cowardice | -7 | Slight red flag. She’s secretly shy and insecure, something she grandly displayed when Terafune arranged a slumber party for her and Shiori…then lost her nerve and made up a phony excuse so she could bail. |
| Anger | -4 | She’s got a temper, but it doesn’t show often enough to worry. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -2 | She’s a tad vain, yet not enough to worry here either. |
| Over-caring | -6 | She’s in love with Shiori, and clearly doesn’t know how to handle it. |
| Total | -26 |
Final Assessment
Score: 13 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)
Reviewing the Results
This cast was really muddled, something that no doubt was huge factor in their constant melodrama, misinterpretations, and inadvertently hurting themselves or others. Then again, it all goes back to what’s been said from the beginning: listen to Sun Tzu, and you’ll win; ignore him, and you’ll lose.
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers Characters: Victory Factors Analysis
| Character | Morality | Weather | Terrain | Leadership | Preparation | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akari | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 26 |
| Shiori | 10 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 26 |
| Jiro | 8 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 27 |
| Kamo | 5 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 27 |
| Sachi | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 32 |
| Natsumi | 9 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 32 |
| Minami | 6 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 32 |
| Mei | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 39 |
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers Characters: Fatal Failings Analysis
| Character | Recklessness | Cowardice | Anger | DOH | Over-caring | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akari | -10 | -8 | -8 | -8 | -10 | -44 |
| Shiori | -8 | -8 | 0 | 0 | -9 | -25 |
| Jiro | -10 | -9 | -6 | -4 | -10 | -39 |
| Kamo | -10 | -5 | -4 | -8 | -8 | -35 |
| Sachi | -8 | -1 | -7 | -7 | -5 | -28 |
| Natsumi | -9 | 0 | 0 | -7 | -5 | -21 |
| Minami | -9 | -8 | 0 | 0 | -10 | -27 |
| Mei | -7 | -7 | -4 | -2 | -6 | -26 |
More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers Characters: Final Scores
| Character | Final Score | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Akari | -18 | Nightmare scenario |
| Shiori | 1 | Nightmare scenario |
| Jiro | -12 | Nightmare scenario |
| Kamo | -8 | Nightmare scenario |
| Sachi | 4 | Nightmare scenario |
| Natsumi | 11 | Great potential, yet deeply flawed |
| Minami | 5 | Nightmare scenario |
| Mei | 13 | Great potential, yet deeply flawed |
Article by:Andrew Nickerson
Andrew's originally from Massachusetts, and has studied military history/tactics/strategy for almost 30 years. He has a BA in History (English minor) from UMASS Lowell and JD from Mass. School of Law. He can be found on Twitter (@AndrewNickers19) daily, analyzing characters via Sun Tzu.
Fun Fact: Andrew's a huge fan of anime music. He particularly recommends Crescent Love (Brighter than the Dawning Blue), Dream Riser (Girls Und Panzer), and the fight theme to Zoids: New Century.