‘Marriagetoxin’ Episode 1 review – “The Poison Master’s Search for a Bride”

Written by Joumyaku and illustrated by Mizuki Yoda, Marriagetoxin is something of a strange beast for the Shueisha Shōnen Jump crowd. Yes, it has fixings of your more standard, shonen fare. And yes, shonen, as a term, is much broader than those who view the genre through a battle shonen lens might expect.

But still, the first chapter has our protagonist, Gero, stepping up to ensure his sister gets to live a happy life with her girlfriend. And he says, girlfriend. He later proposes marriage (albeit unknowingly) to a man dressed as a woman. Their friendship blossoms, the queer overtones (and undertones) persist, and challenge the harem setup to create something much more fixated on deconstructing societal norms.

But it is all relentlessly silly in the worldbuilding, something that Bones Film does a remarkable job of emulating in Marriagetoxin Episode 1. This is a world dominated and run by assassins, and it’s a whole lot stranger than Sakamoto Days. The series follows Hikaru Gero (Haruki Ishiya), a young man who comes from the Poison Clan.

A delightfully odd story about an assassin looking for love.

His grandmother is demanding that either he or his sister marry to secure their bloodline by having children and becoming the heir of the clan. His sister, obviously, is against the idea, but Gero, too, worries that, because he doesn’t live a normal life, he won’t be able to find love. Even his friend, the Poison Bug user Toshiki Hanamaki, has found a fiancée, a nice, down-to-earth woman who accepts the world he operates in.

Things grow even more sinister when Gero learns that, if he doesn’t accept the role, his family will force his sister to marry and have children against her wishes. All of which culminates in the destined meeting between Gero and marriage swindler Mei Kinosaki (Shion Wakayama). The latter of whom is, at least originally, a target of Gero’s.

He’s been hired to kill Kinosaki, who is initially believed to be a woman. However, while talking to her, he begins to open up, all the while holding her life in his hands, as those who hired him tell him to kill her. He offers her an out through marriage, to which she declines. However, she agrees to help him as a marriage counselor, promising to help him find the real romance he desires.

Marriagetoxin Episode 1 picks the unlikely narrative routes.

Of course, Marriagetoxin Episode 1 further implodes our expectations by revealing that Kinosaki is, in fact, a man who cross-dresses as a woman to lure men. When he needs to lure in women, he dresses as a man. It’s when the two meet and become quick friends that the series picks up, and the charm abounds. Because they’re an instantly lovable duo and only become more so as the premiere progresses. And there’s, blessedly, no gay panic moment when Gero realizes Kinosaki is a man. Instead, there’s a quick sense of familiarity between them, even as Kinosaki teases Gero over his inexperience.

What follows is a hilarious montage of Gero striking out on the dates Kinosaki sets up for him as he tries to find out what Gero’s charm is. The missteps are both relatable and absurd, from not knowing how to talk to women to struggling to relax; it immediately humanizes Gero. Considering Gero routinely injects himself with poisons to increase his strength and speed to near superhuman heights, this is necessary. And the result is an adorably awkward protagonist whose hobbies include making candy kits for kids and producing his own brand of titanium-melting, all-purpose cleaner. He just also happens to kill people for a living.

He admits to a moral code, saying that he tries not to take on any jobs that would make it hard to sleep at night. It’s almost shocking how charismatic they make him, his affect and demeanor a wholesome contrast to his abilities. It opens up some great narrative options. Especially when remembering the cruel manner in which his family threatened his sister. A sister who, due to Gero’s looking for love, is allowed to pursue her relationship without interference.

It’s Episode 1 and we’re already routing for Gero and Kinosaki.

Which all boils down to the series’ main dynamic. A dynamic that is one of the main driving forces behind the series’ fandom. And that’s Gero and Kinosaki. Look, who knows if there’s a reality in which they’re the endgame. Who knows if a Shonen Jump title will actually go there? But in terms of narrative setup, Marriagetoxin Episode 1 presents it as a possibility, if not inevitable. The whole series is built around Gero meeting different women and forging connections. Despite it all, despite him being canonically a man, Gero still shares some undeniably romantic moments with Kinosaki. Kinosaki, who, after a day of knowing him, is also helping him mop the floor of a public bathroom, an act that soothes Gero’s anxieties.

The entire last sequence, where Gero saves Kinosaki (again), paints itself in broad, romantic brushstrokes, from Gero’s breakneck reaction time in taking off after them, to Kinosaki’s stunned gaze and being carried by Gero to safety. Then there’s Kinosaki calling Gero “dazzling,” seeing his true charm. The series is worthwhile regardless of who Gero ends up with. But by bucking expectations and leaning fully into the queer undertones the series is built on, it would reconstruct what we expect from shonen titles – especially ones that end up getting adaptations.

But that’s a lot of future what-ifs to fixate on. As an adaptation, the work from Bones Film is predictably strong. Directed by Motonobu Hori, while there are some more stagnant moments and uninspired framing, there are also many intriguing perspective shots. One instance of the camera looking up at Gero from ground level as he takes in his friend’s upcoming nuptials is unexpectedly dynamic. The action at the end is frantic yet cohesive, demonstrating Gero’s physicality and control.

Marriagetoxin establishes a distinctive and unusual visual tone.

Even moments played for comedy, such as when Gero nearly leaps out of his skin to avert his gaze from Kinosaki dropping his towel, punch the material up with unusual motions and use of space. The premiere makes up for pacing issues through the vibrant aesthetic and lighting that give the series a noteworthy edge. While there are familiar beats and stylistic choices reminiscent of other shows, Marriagetoxin establishes its own visual tone. Mizuki Yoda’s artwork in the manga is so rich and strengthened by designs that detail the characters’ strong personalities, and the anime brings that spark to life through its striking colors.

But, more than anything, it’s the music by Taisei Iwasaki and Yuma Yamaguchi that truly gives Marriagetoxin Episode 1 its offbeat edge. It’s a little peculiar, a little out of step with expectations, and yet it works because it’s so singular. There’s a city pop aesthetic that pairs with the city’s flashing lights and vivid character designs, ranging from notes of melancholy to whiffs of hyper-pop. Like our protagonists, like the story itself, it refuses to be boxed in.

Marriagetoxin Episode 1 defies expectations because its source material refuses to adhere to them. While the pacing could be better and there’s some stiff animation at the start, “The Poison Master’s Search for a Bride” is a strong start that kicks off the story. All the while introducing a new fan-favorite dynamic and a premise that continually undermines the foundation on which the genre stands.

Marriagetoxin Episode 1 is out now on Crunchyroll. 

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Images courtesy of Bones Film and Crunchyroll.