MARRIAGETOXIN ‒ Episode 3

© Joumyaku・Mizuki Yoda/SHUEISHA, MARRIAGETOXIN Project

After spending its first couple of episodes establishing its formula, this week's MARRIAGETOXIN gives us a better idea of what that formula will actually look like. Before we get to that, the simuldub for the series finally kicked off this week, and I'd say it's off to a solid start. I'm not really familiar with Ethan Gallandro. Still, I like his take on Gero so far, and while I do think some bits of his comedic delivery could be a little stronger, he does a good job of getting across Gero's general awkwardness naturally. Brittney Karbowski, on the other hand, is practically a household name when it comes to anime dubs at this point. While I do think there was a bit of a missed opportunity in not casting a trans or gender non-conforming actor for Kinosaki, she almost always turns in a great performance. This is no exception as the constant shifts between the sultry tone she gives to Kinosaki and great sense of comedic timing make her the standout of the two so far. I'm not quite sure if I'll end up keeping up with the dub every week, but for anyone who plans to, it looks like it'll be a reliable option for watching the show

Moving on to this week's episode, considering the last one ended in the middle of a fight, I was a little surprised that the rest of Gero's battle with the Water Master ended up being relatively short. All it really takes is one dose of poison for Gero to power himself up enough to end the fight within a couple of minutes. That might be a little disappointing to anyone here for the action, but I appreciate that the show kept it relatively straight to the point. Plus, what we got certainly didn't skimp out on the presentation as the animators were clearly having fun coming up with all sorts of ways to have streams of water zipping all over the place during the fight, and it made for an impressive action showcase. It was also nice to see Himekawa play a part in aiding her own rescue. Even with the general conceit of Gero swooping in to play white knight for all the women he plans on meeting, it wouldn't make for much of a romance series if every one of Gero's potential partners was just a damsel in distress, so seeing her step in to help Gero before the two of them could get fully acquainted does a lot to build up their chemistry and demonstrate how a future relationship between the two of them could actually work.

Speaking of that relationship, that brings us to the actual highlight of the episode: the date. After rescuing Himekawa and deciding to spare the Water Master's life (which, given how it's framed, seems like a way to set her up as another one of Gero's possible brides), Kinosaki sets Himekawa and Gero up on a date, and the ensuing disaster is pretty hilarious. Despite making a great first impression with his rescue, it doesn't take long for Gero to end up killing the mood by failing to get through even the simplest bits of small talk, and his poor attempt at paying her compliments (he could have at least brought up how cute the shark hat was) easily made for one of the funniest jokes we've gotten in the show thus far. The date is only salvaged when Kinosaki sets up an icebreaker question, and it provides the two of them the opportunity to open up to each other about their pasts.

Himekawa used to be an orphan until she was adopted by a rich man looking for an heir before he died, and was set to inherit all the wealth he had collected through his vast art collection. However, when Himekawa learned after his death that all of this art was stolen, she made it her mission to return them all to their rightful owners at the expense of her inheritance, and has since lived a relatively humble lifestyle working part-time jobs to get by. While she doesn't take a lot of pride in her current lifestyle, the fact that Gero finds her so admirable makes a lot of sense with what we learn about him. Throughout the episode we get glimpses into his childhood, and how he was instilled at an early age to think like an assassin, whether it be through never eating anything that someone else makes for him, or only observing the happy lifestyles of other people to learn the best ways of poisoning them (I have a lot of questions about his family's human zoo that the show likely isn't intent on answering). Even with how much his anti-social tendencies have been played for laughs, these looks into his past make it clear that the way he was raised ended up emotionally stunting him in ways he's only just now starting to realize, and now that he's gained the experience of having people thank him rather than fear him, this seems like it will be the start for him seeing that he's capable of more than what he was raised for.

With all that in mind, it's fitting that rather than this date ending in a love confession, Gero instead asks Himekawa if the two of them can become friends. In more typical romantic set-up this would feel like a massive bait-and-switch, but between the fact that they've only just met, and how much he needs to come to terms with the parts of himself he hates, Gero wants the two of them to get to know each other better before they progress their relationship any further, and the fact that Gero recognizes how important this is not only speaks to how much he's starting to mature as a person, but how thoughtful this show is actually willing to be in its depiction of romance. Part of that does get undercut by Kinosaki immediately setting Gero up for his next potential match, but even without him telling us that, it's obvious that Gero needs to meet a lot more before he can determine which one would make for an ideal partner, and if this episode is any indication, he's got a lot to work on before he finally meets his Ms. Right.

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MARRIAGETOXIN is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.