MANGA REVIEW | "Marriage Toxin" - Volume Nine
If there’s one thing Marriage Toxin is teaching its readers, it’s that the bonds of holy matrimony are strongest when two people love each other very much. So naturally, if one party has zero interest in marrying the other, odds are it would lead to a disastrous relationship. Even worse is if one person wasn’t marrying the other for love, but rather revenge. But hey, that’s the sort of territory that Marriage Toxin’s found itself comfortable in, especially in its ninth volume.
We begin where Volume Eight left off, as Himi is trapped marrying a man who’s all about the money and less for the love. Gero, fully recovered thanks to Sound Master Naruko, plots her rescue, which requires some key skills to get into the church properly. Naturally, when he and Naruko crash the wedding, it’s not just to get the free food and party gifts. Nay, it’s to rescue a damsel from the grasp of a mad fool!
That’s when Marriage Toxin treats us to the greatest fight in a church since Kingsman: The Secret Service! Not only is Ghost Master Sakazuki packing heat, so are every one of the guests at the wedding! So with his hot bath barrel, Naruko makes some quick work with the guests while Gero deals with Sakazuki. There’s plenty of gorgeous violence thanks to Mizuki Yoda’s artwork, both in the realistic way and even the campy cartoonish kind. (It makes me wonder how Studio BONES will handle this scene in their upcoming anime adaptation!)
As for Gero’s fight against Sakazuki, the Ghost Master has more tricks up his sleeve than Penn & Teller. Tons of ghost debuffs, super strength, and even techniques dealing with poison gas make Sakazuki a hell of an opponent for Gero to deal with. Just how does he conquer such a beast? Well…let’s just say he’s got a ghost of a chance to convince a spirit or two to help him out.
It all leads to Gero rescuing Himi from Takeo. The villain’s backstory is not at all sympathetic. In fact, the way he gets off on groveling is kind of gross. I don’t kink-shame, but there’s a line that has to be drawn, and Takeo’s fetish is so pathetic that he deserves to be banned from all kink clubs and parties for all eternity. Sorry, but also not sorry.
After all of this, Himi starts to realize what she’s feeling for Gero, meaning another potential bride has entered the chat! And while that’s good, that means that our Poison Master will no doubt soon have to start whittling down the list. Odds are, writer Joumyaku isn’t down for a harem ending; there’s got to be one true winner in Marriage Toxin. But before Gero can make his choice, the assassin’s gotta improve his game, and Kinosaki’s got a couple of ideas to work on his love skills.
For starters, there’s the home date. Naturally, Gero sucks at this, meaning that Kinosaki’s gotta show him how to have a proper good time. Watching scary movies, playing video games, having tasty junk food, and even a little cuddling. These are all things that make for a fun home date, and Kinosaki does a wonderful job showing Gero the ropes on how it’s done.
Then, there’s a matchmaking party, where Gero can get a feel for many women at once. (No, not like that, you pervert!) It’s here where Gero and Kinosaki meet the “Great” Leo Beppu, and he’s got the hots for Kinosaki. Even knowing that Gero’s marriage adviser is packing something different between their legs doesn’t stop Leo from proposing marriage, something that kind of makes Kinosaki smile a bit.
However, there’s another reason for Gero wanting to take part in the matchmaking event, and it’s for something that Kinosaki doesn’t even know about. A terrorist organization is aiming to take the party down, mainly because everyone there is stinkin’ rich! Leo may have called them in, but meeting Kinosaki has certainly made him change his mind. However, even his own skills can’t keep the enemies from infiltrating this party. Thankfully, Gero’s already ready to take down his next target, even if it means interrupting his quest for love!
Volume Nine of Marriage Toxin delivers a barrel full of laughs, action, and sweetness. Another name is added to Gero’s would-be wife list, and the Poison Master earns some experience points thanks to Kinosaki. However, it feels like we’ve still got a long way to go before Gero can walk down the aisle and be face-to-face with his one true love. Will the list get longer, or can Gero start scratching some names off of the list? If I were a betting man, the former seems more obvious than the latter.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
