This is a one to one comparison, each article will contain spoilers, especially when we get to the later episodes. Let’s begin with an introduction to each series. Click here for episode three.
Synopsis (from MyDramaList): Kang Ji Won’s marriage to Park Min Hwan is strained due to his selfishness, unemployment, and a domineering mother. Ji Won is the family’s sole breadwinner and does all the household chores. When she is diagnosed with terminal cancer, her world shatters further as she discovers her husband’s affair with her close friend, Jung Soo Min. A confrontation leads to her tragic death at Min Hwan’s hands. However, Ji Won wakes up 10 years in the past, before she married Min Hwan. Determined to change her fate, she plots to make Soo Min marry him instead. Meanwhile, Yoo Ji Hyeok, her colleague, secretly harbors feelings for Ji Won and conceals a hidden truth.
Release Year: 2024
Watch on: Amazon Prime
Characters:
Kang Ji Won – Main Protaganist
Park Min Hwan – Ji Won’s Husband/Boyfriend
Jung Soo Min – Ji Won’s Best Friend
Yoo Ji Hyuk – Ji Won’s Boss
Yoo Hui Yeon – Ji Won’s junior coworker and friend
Baek Eun Ho – Ji Won’s High School classmate/first love
Yang Ju Ran – Ji Won’s senior coworker
Kim Geyong Uk – Ji Won’s direct supervisor
Number of episodes: 16
Synopsis (from MyDramaList): The protagonist Kanbe Misa, who has always lived a life of a “supporting character” because she is too kind and always puts others first, believes in her best friend and husband and continues to do her best, but she loses her life due to their betrayal. However, she suddenly realizes that she has traveled back in time to 10 years ago. Misa plans revenge to ruin her former best friend and husband, but her encounter with Suzuki Wataru, a department manager with whom she had no connection in her first life, brings about a new change in Misa’s heart as she seeks revenge…
Release Year: 2025
Watch on: Amazon Prime
Characters:
Kanbe Misa – Main Protagonist
Hirano Tomoya – Misa’s Husband/Boyfriend
Esaka Reina – Misa’s Best Friend
Suzuki Wataru – Misa’s Boss
Sizuki Miku – Misa’s coworker and friend
Sumiyoshi Yuriko: Misa’s senior co worker
Tanabe Yuto: Misa’s high school classmate/first love
Section Chief Tomita: Misa’s direct supervisor
Number of Episodes: 10
Marry My Husband Korean Episode 4
Eun Ho yells out that he had a crush on Ji Won. While the two stand uncomfortably, Ji Hyuk calls Ji Won and asks her to meet him for a work thing. Eun Ho asks for her phone number and she gives it to him.
At the hotel venue, a showcase is happening for something called NURTV, which Ji Won knows will be really popular in 10 years. She is introduced to a man, Mr. Wang, which will be a controversial figure, a misogynist known for treating employees badly.
Back at the reunion, Su Min is questioned by the bullies. She tries to dismiss it all then gets upset and storms off to the bathroom. She tries to call Ji Won but there’s no answer. When she comes out of the bathroom, everyone has left.
Back at the hotel, Mr. Wang complains the website being show cased is full of indecent content. Ji Won tries to explain how the algorithm works, saying a provocative show was on the first time she accessed the site, and that after awhile it will show you content you are interested in. Mr. Wang tells her she’s only there to smile like a pretty flower and to keep her mouth shut. Ji Hyuk steps in, defending and praising her.
Ji Hyuk insists on giving her a ride and teases her about the show she supposedly watched. Su Min calls, she doesn’t answer. Eun Ho sends her a text. Min Huan tries to call but she doesn’t answer that either. They pass Min Huan walking down the road and Ji Won pushes her seat back so he doesn’t see her. They then see Su Min waiting outside and Ji Won ducks back again.
Min Huan and Su Min meet, she starts crying. They try to go into Ji Won’s apartment but the code has been changed.
By the water, Ji Hyuk gives Ji Won a hot drink. She explains that she doesn’t want to talk about her personal life. He asks what she wants to do in life. She mentions she wants to learn self defense and he offers to teach her, but she laughs, thinking he’s not the athletic type. When he takes his glasses off for a moment, she asks if he’s ever thought about wearing contacts.
At a restaurant, Min Huan and Su Min drink and talk about how Ji Won has changed.
Ji Hyuk drops Ji Won off at her home. They have an awkward conversation where he tries to warn her about getting married. In her apartment, Ji Won finds an interior design proposal Hui Yeon left for her, along with a post it note recommending Ji Won move in order to carry out the proposal, which Ji Won thinks is a good idea.
Su Min tries calling her again. When Ji Won doesn’t answer, she tries from Min Huan’s phone. Eun Ho calls. Flashback to high school. Eun Ho berates her and says he never wants to speak to her again. Su Min says she told him Ji Won had feels for him. In the present, Eun Ho explains he said that because she rejected him. Ji Won is confused and he tells her about a letter she wrote him. Ji Won asks to meet and for him to bring the letter.
The next day at the office, everyone is surprised to see Ji Won’s new look, especially Min Huan. Ji Hyuk arrives, stares at Min Huan fawning over Ji Won and knocks a bunch of stuff over and then runs into an employee. He tells Ji Won her outfit in inappropriate for work. Hui Yeon says it is and asks why he’s criticizing her. He tries to play it off as being about seeing her without her glasses. She reminds him he saw her yesterday and points out he is also wearing contacts. Everyone starts complimenting him and gets flustered and walks away.
Outside, other coworkers start congratulating Min Huan on how pretty Ji Won is and warn him someone else might make a move. He suddenly looks concerned.
Min Huan buys Ji Won coffee and asks her about meeting Ji Hyuk as he thinks Ji Hyuk likes her. When Min Huan tries to kiss her, she knocks coffee into his lap.
Ji Won and Su Min have a conversation. Ji Won says she won’t just let things go anymore and that she’s going to meet Eun Ho to clear things up. She also mentions that Min Huan’s stocks are doing really well.
At the end of the day, Ji Hyuk pulls Ji Won aside and asks again about her outfit. He says he wore contacts because of what she said. She explains that dressing up makes her feel good and everyone has been treating her differently because of it. She compliments his smile again and suggesst he update his style as well.
After a client meeting, Ji Won sees Hui Yeon very excitedly leaving a store. As she’s about to call out, Ji Hyuk appears and tries to quiet Hui Yeon down. They look very friendly.
Ji Won remembers there as a scandal involving them that resulted in Hui Yeon being transferred. She thinks she keeps bumping into Ji Hyuk because she’s now friends with Hui Yeon.
At Ji Hyuk’s Grandfathers house, Hui Yeon excitedly goes on about their shopping trip. Ji Hyuk looks exasperated.
Ji Hyuk calls his friend and they have a judo match. He decides Judo is best to teach a woman self defense. He has a shower and we see a small heart under his collar bone. The same kind of heart Ji Won’s father used to drawn on her allowance money.
He prepares a drink and talks to his cat, revealing that he is also living his second life.
Flashback to 2023, at Ji Won’s funeral, Min Huan and Su Min are arrested for murder. The high school bullies are at the funeral and Eun Ho arrives. He confirms that he never dated Su Min. Ji Hyuk gets in a car accident after he swerves to avoid a cat. He wakes up in 2013 and the heart appears on his chest.
Marry My Husband Japan Episode 4
After making it appear that she kissed Wataru, Reina rides back with the others and invites herself over to Misa’s. There, Misa makes Wataru out to sound like a womanizer to deter Reina from chasing after him.
At work, Misa does her best to avoid Wataru and Miku complains about Tomoya during lunch. At the end of the day, Misa avoids Reina and then Wataru and Misa go for a meal. She explains to him that she was trying to prevent him from becoming a target again. He makes it absolutely clear that he did not kiss Reina. Misa tells him they need to stop meeting each other alone and leaves.
Putting a new plan into motion, Misa invites Reina out, but Tomoya arrives as well. Misa does her best to make her and Tomoya look like a happy loving couple while Reina tags along, seething with jealousy. Later in the evening, at a bar, while Misa is in the bathroom, Reina makes a bit of a pass at Tomoya.
Later, Reina and Tomoya meet up while Misa is working late. She tells him how Misa’s mother left her husband for another man, implying the “apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
At the office, Misa is preparing to leave when Wataru asks her if she’s going to make the same mistake again. She tells him it’s none of his business and leaves. Tomoya sees them holding hands. Outside the building, Tomoya is waiting for Misa. They walk together and he confronts her about seeing other men. When she tries to walk away, he slaps her. Back at her apartment she starts getting stomach pains like she did before.
The next day, Tomoya apologizes to her, showing her an apartment that he reserved for them. Misa finally breaks up with him, takes the contract for the apartment and intends to cancel it. She goes to the apartment to meet the real estate agent but while she’s there she has a panic attack with flashbacks to her death. Just before she falls over the edge like the first time, Wataru grabs her and pulls her back. He promises “not to let her die again.”
A flashback to the original timeline shows Wataru seeing Misa die.
Episode Comparison
These episodes are pretty different. Thus far, Su Min has shown no interest in Ji Hyuk, focusing more of her attention on Min Huan still, while Reina has tried wholeheartedly to start something with Wataru.
The reunion gets much more attention in the Korea version, going more in depth with what happened to Ji Won in the past, and the consequences of Su Min’s lies in the present. It also appears that Ji Won and Eun Ho will clear things about about the past, unlike Misa and Tanbe, who simply seemed to forgive the past and move on as friends.
Some of the characters also have pretty significant personality differences as well. For instance, Hui Yeon is very outgoing, bubbly kind of person who loves to eat and has no problem with people knowing that. She is kind and genuine, but also willing to stand up for her friends. Miku, on the other hand, is not nearly so bubbly. She’s still a good friend to Misa, but she doesn’t stand out as much as Hui Yeon does.
Ji Hyuk and Wataru are also quite different. Wataru always feels very serious and rarely ever smiles. He shows up when Misa needs him, which is fine. Ji Hyuk on the other hand, has more cute and genuine moments with Ji Won. He does his best to get her out of tough situations without her knowing he’s behind it. He also smiles a lot more, which Ji Won compliments. Although he is also quite serious, he seems more shy than mean. Wataru just comes across as so socially awkward that I can’t really get past it. I find it difficult that Misa would fall for a guy like him. Although Ji Won and Ji Hyuk have some awkward conversations, their interactions feel more natural and their growing feelings make sense.
We’ll see how things progress from here. Maybe Wataru will get better in the coming episodes.
Stay tuned for episode 5!