MANGA REVIEW | "Marriage Toxin" - Volume Eight
Gero may have a lot of book smarts, but street smarts aren’t exactly up his alley. Sure, he’s gotten lucky here and there in Marriage Toxin, but there are times when what he thinks he knows isn’t at all how things truly are. Volume Eight captures that realization well, as Gero is put into his next mission: being a rental boyfriend. And thankfully, it’s better than anything Reiji Miyajima has ever written.
First, we get the tail-end conclusion to Gero’s most recent mission, with him successfully protecting Erina Zao from the Pinwheel Masters. This gives Gero some time to bond with Erina’s bodyguard Chinatsu, although their interactions are more odd than romantic. That’s when Erina puts her plan to get Gero and Chinatsu together into overdrive, going so far as to begin a hilarious round of The King Game. But as Erina pushes her bodyguard towards the pathway of love, Chinatsu reveals her true feelings for the poison master, giving way to a valuable lesson about letting things occur naturally rather than forcefully.
Meanwhile, Gero’s got a lot on his mind. And what’s on his mind are all of the women he’s come into contact with since he began his quest. It riddles him with guilt, as he worries that he’s two-timing every potential bride he meets. Thankfully, Gero’s got someone like Kinosaki on his side, who tells him why he shouldn’t panic, and what he should do to ease his mind from the situation. The moment winds up being another good lesson not just for Gero, but for any reader who finds themselves on the dating scene and seeking to find the right person to spend their life with.
But Marriage Toxin doesn’t slow down for a moment, as Gero’s thrown into his next mission. This time, he’s got to play pretend boyfriend to Makoto, a woman who’s being married to a rich man against her will. As such, Gero must turn the charm up to the level Makoto expects of him. Unfortunately, his idea of being a good boyfriend comes more from romance novels than real life, as Makoto puts Gero through a very funny training session on how to be the ideal boyfriend.
When Makoto’s father appears, we see that he’s not at all right in the head. His desire for everything luxurious overshadows the needs of his daughter. He may say that he does it all for her, but we all know the truth: it’s him who wants it all, not to give it to his child. Illustrator Mizuki Yoda does a stellar job amplifying the creepiness of the father’s mannerisms, to the point where he feels like a straight-up horror movie villain!
The appearance of Dr. Sakazuki certainly doesn’t make it easier, with his skills being on-par with Gero in almost every category. How he fights brings to mind a certain 19th-century killer, with a technique reveal that — let’s face it — is a lot dumber than it claims to be. Nevertheless, Dr. Sakazuki forces Gero and Makoto into a situation that results in the worst-case scenario, with a dreadful wedding ceremony waiting in the wings. Fortunately, an old friend of Gero’s is close by to lend a hand in the final battle.
There’s a very good ending for Chinatsu’s arc in Marriage Toxin, and the current one with Makoto is thus far a fun read. However, I just can’t shake off Dr. Sakazuki’s dumb explanation of how his punches work, and his comparison to a classic killer made me raise my eyebrow with confusion. While that element has some flaws, it doesn’t take away too much from the excitement that Marriage Toxin Volume Eight has to offer.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
