MANGA REVIEW | "Marriage Toxin" - Volume Eleven
I have to commend a series that allows its heroines and damsels-in-distress to fight their own battles. That’s exactly what the eleventh volume of Marriage Toxin does, and while Gero has a moment to shine as a hero, it’s his hirer, Ushio, that manages to be the big star of this story arc. With the two of them and Kinosaki in the realm of Fire Masters, a lot is riding on the fate of Ushio, who was cast aside by them and instead trained by the Water Masters. However, Ushio’s big fight almost doesn’t happen.
The reason: her opponent, Haibu, is found dead. His father, Fire Master leader Ushio, points the blame at Ushio, claiming she killed him when he wasn’t looking. However, this is when the Poison Master comes in and plays detective. He dishes out the clues, rules out any possibility of Ushio being the killer, and instead finds the real perpetrator in less time than the average episode of Case Closed.
It is understandable why Ushio may have wanted to take the blame, considering who the real killer is. But when you see why they offed Haibu, one could fairly side with the killer in the situation. But no matter. No Haibu, no fight, right? Alas, it ain’t that simple, as Ushio takes her son’s place. Of course, it’s not out of revenge or pity; in fact, his reaction to Haibu’s death makes him a nominee for “Asshole Father of the Year”!
Marriage Toxin takes this opportunity to show readers what Ushio is truly made of. Her fight with Haibu goes down a route readers may not have expected. On top of her being super strong, the true power of the Fire Masters is revealed in their bout. That is to say, they’re hella weak, due to them refusing to fight other clans. Because of this, I have to truly give props to Joumyaku and Mizuki Yoda for allowing Ushio to fight her own battles instead of Gero.
After the mission ends, Gero gets a special reward: a date with Ushio. Her suggestion: a day at a comedy festival. What could’ve easily been a dream crossover with Show-ha Shoten! instead turns into a sweet situation, where fireproof plans go up in smoke. Overall, the date proves a big point: if both people had lots of fun, even with nothing going right, it still counts as a success! (Trust me: I’ve experienced this quite a few times on my own.)
With Ushio now in the candidates for Gero’s future wife, it’s safe to say that Marriage Toxin now has a solid selection for the Poison Master to choose from. In fact, the situation is even being looked at closely by the other Master guilds across Japan, to the point where it seems they’ll be helping/interfering with the selection process. But that can wait, as Gero and Kinosaki go on another practice date at a hot spring. And it’s there where Gero discovers something shocking about his marriage guru.
Volume Eleven of Marriage Toxin does a fantastic job giving the big fight to the damsel rather than the main hero. On top of that, it sets everything up for the big choice Gero will soon have to make. The question now is, just who will be the one walking down the aisle with the Poison Master? Considering all of the qualities of each candidate, I’d say making this pick will be a lot harder than trying to find the One Piece!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
