Gero’s fight against Naruko continues, with Shiori’s life hanging in the balance. After all that drama, it’s time for a less toxic marriage with the wedding of Toshiki the Bug Master, plus a killer is on the loose! Well, a different one, specifically.
It’s possible that I vibe so well with Marriage Toxin because it reflects my own attitude towards most manga action sequences - they’re over the top and largely pointless.
Despite the rapid escalation with Naruko’s trap, which also sees him swinging from the trees in what appears to be a Tarzan homage but to me looks like an incredibly obscure animated Levi’s commercial from the 80’s (it’s not, but bless my pop culture consuming heart), this wraps up in as perfunctory a way as you might expect.
It boils down to ‘time to move on’ and what would be a clever move on Gero’s part, except it makes no sense and involves things we weren’t really told. It would drive me insane were I trying to take it seriously, but I most certainly am not.
There’s an overlong moment where Shiori saves the day and finds her courage that’s pretty charming and a real ‘did this actually matter?’ ending that wraps it all up with a legitimately sweet moment between Gero and Shiori where they overcome their awkwardness by exchanging magic tricks. It’s terribly cute.
But, man, this series has no desire to make a lick of sense. It is so absolutely mad that I can enjoy it for what it is, something I don’t say all that often. Toshiki’s wedding is just crazy from start to finish and introduces the cutest spider this side of an isekai.
There’s also a running gag in this volume with challengers stepping up to fight these masters while appearing to have wild gimmicks and then get dispatched so easily they may as well have stayed home. I don’t hate the vibe here at all, but if you want your fights to mean much of anything, stay away.
After the Bug Master sprouts wings and flies off (am I joking? Who can say…), the last section introduces a new foe who seems deadlier than all the others. Which is offset by Gero teaming up with a new leading lady, whose special talent (besides fan service) spells big things for the wood chip industry.
Fun action that pulls punches the second it feels like it, a wacky sense of absurdist creativity, and a little dash of genuine heart here and there make this a really fun trifle that constantly amuses me. It’s so bizarre that it’s always worth a look just to see what it’s planning to do next.
3.5 stars - rounded up because, yeah, this is my sort of jam and it knows exactly what it is and it clearly enjoys the heck out of itself while doing its thing. A good time.
Sejauh baca dr vol awal sampe sini, aku ngerasa kyk plotnya itu naik turun. Kalo Gero pas lagi battle lawan musuh-musuhnya, rasanya kyk intense bgt (apalagi artnya emang bagus dan rapih ini mangakanya). Tp begitu ke story-nya, bertemu dgn bbrp cewek2 yang dia tolong atau pas diospekin sama Kinosaki, rasanya kyk lambat bgt pace nya tp masih enjoy buat diikuti.
Stlh nolongin Ureshino yg diburu sama master Suara, Gero dan Kinosaki menghadiri undangan pernikahan sohibnya, Toshiki si master serangga. Mulai juga dispill tipis-tipis ttg masa kecil Gero dmn dia sptnya harapan besar keluarganya sbg master racun, dia dilatih habis-habisan tp salutnya, Gero gak semata-mata pny sifat emotionless (walau dr wajahnya dia kelihatan bgt emotionless pas masih kecil). Dia sangat menghormati semua org, termasuk Toshiki yg mrp keluarga turunan dr master racun dan sbg keluarga turunan mereka spt pny aturan tdk tertulis utk tdk mengusik/menggosip ttg keluarga inti kemampuan mereka. Karena itu pula Toshiki sgt respek sama Gero bahkan jadi sohib ketika dewasa. Tp sayangnya, acara pernikahan Toshiki diinterupsi sama musuh lama Toshiki (pdhl dulu dia diselamatin Toshiki), hingga Gero menyerahkan memonya ttg kesan Toshiki ke Kinoshita utk disampaikan pas acara pernikahan. Trenyuh sih karena di situ Gero bilang kalo Toshiki adlh penyelamat hidupnya dan mengharapkan kebahagiannya, karena selalu mengenalkannya dgn kehidupan manusia yg normal, sesuatu yg dari dulu mungkin gak pernah bisa dimiliki Gero.
Setelahnya Gero mendapatkan permintaan utk membantu seorang master beast, (wqwqwq lupa namanya 😂) seorang cewek reckless tp dia diam2 naksir mampus sama Gero tp sayangnya Gero sama sekali gak menyadarinya 😂😂
POPKULTUROWY KOCIOŁEK: Pomimo pewnej powtarzalności treści, tytuł potrafi zaangażować czytelnika i zapewnić mu chwilę intensywnej dobrej rozrywki. Świadczy o tym zawartość trzeciej odsłony, gdzie na czytelnika czekają jeszcze większe komplikacje oraz jeszcze więcej akcji i humoru.
Większego znaczenia zaczynają nabierać tu wątki romantyczne, choć wciąż są podane w humorystycznym stylu. Do historii dołączają nowe bohaterki, które stają się potencjalnymi kandydatkami do małżeństwa, co prowadzi do zabawnych, ale i pełnych napięcia sytuacji.
Tomik wyróżnia się również intensywnie zarysowaną dramaturgią. Konflikty rodzinne Gero nabierają bowiem intensywności, a on sam znacząco zmienia profil swojego zawodu. Nie brakuje tu więc fenomenalnie narysowanych walk, które podsycają napięcie czytelnika.
Fabuła skłania się tu również ku poważniejszym tematom, takim jak wolność wyboru i wpływ rodziny na jednostkę. Mimo to humor wciąż stanowi istotny element, sprawiając, że historia nie traci swojego unikalnego charakteru....
Can Gero ever catch a break? The pacing of the story makes me so tired for him haha. The moment he’s done fighting, a new opponent appears.
Thank you Viz and NetGalley for the DRC! Vol. 3 keeps the same zany flow and we get more backstory into Bug Man and Gero’s friendship. Gero is such a chill and normal dude, he hasn’t even realized how alluring that is to others and how many flock to him due to that. His wedding speech was adorable and he’s such a good friend. I’m a big scaredy cat about bugs but the wedding rings being flown in was so cute and I wish we could’ve gotten that scene in color.
The cliffhanger at the end of the volume was not cute but once again, Gero saves more lives than he does ruining them as a poison master. Plz volume 4 drop soon! Solid 4 because the wedding was -chefs kiss-.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Poison Master Gero versus Sound Master Naruko! Gero is fighting Naruko to keep Shiori Ureshino alive while on a college camping trip. If he wins, what will Ureshino do with her aunt who hired Naruko? And will Ureshino want to have any type of relationship with Gero? But before Gero and Mei Kinosake manage to find another client, they have a shopping trip and wedding to survive! And what is a hamster master? Read this volume and hang on for a ride!
Thanks Netgalley and Viz Media for the chance to read this title!
Gero must save Ureshino from the Sound Master assassin but she must save herself from her brainwashed new friends.
Anyway, the best part of this is the wedding!! Yes, Bug Master is getting married and it's adorable! Plus, we get some insight into the hidden world of assassins. Turns out there are 5 main houses (Gero being the heir to one) and everyone else is a branch family or offshoot.
But someone is hunting assassins and when the Beast (Hamster) Master requests Gero's help, he can't say no.
Marriage Toxin continues to bring the action and the laughs in its third volume. The camping Gero goes through in this volume is the complete opposite of what they do in Yuru Camp but it works for just how weird this story gets. (I received an ARC for this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.)
Kinosaki continues to try to find Gero a suitable marriage partner. This volume finishes the adventure from last volume with Gero protecting a low self esteem heiress. The fighting was a fun read and then we get Gero attending a friend’s wedding and saving the day. It was an action packed volume and still a lot of fun.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This series is so over the top and doesn't always make the most sense but the art is nice and I like the comedic moments. It's some sort of action series where the action itself is the least interesting (but most time-consuming) part.
Sometimes it becomes a fantasy story. I like it a lot, starting with the drawings. Gero is a ruthless killer? Yes! Shy and selfless. Kinosaki is an excellent assistant and teacher. This volume also ends with a cliffhanger and probably with a new suitor for the title of wife.
This was so fun and cute! Gero's gotten to interact with so many different kinds of people, I'm so, so curious (and mad!!) at the cliffhanger ending, when does the next volume come out again??