When I reviewed the first volume of MARRIAGETOXIN, I wrote it off as a fairly solid action series with a very lovable lead. The idea of a socially awkward yet incredibly capable assassin willingly throwing himself into harm's way for the sake of protecting his sister was a solid setup, and I very much thought that there wasn't really going be much more to the series outside of a rather standard formula action series. Turns out I was partially right. About ten more volumes in, there is a formula that the series sticks to, and there is plenty of action to be had. However, the formula isn't necessarily in the action itself, which can range from being incredibly over the top to surprisingly toned down. Rather, the formula is in the charming character interactions. I don't think I've ever read a series with a more misleading title, because while TOXIC definitely refers to the fact that our main protagonist, Gero, uses poison as his main weapon, the series is probably one of the most wholesome action series I've ever read to date.

Volume one establishes the premise, and the following volumes get into the meat of the series. Gero needs to find a wife, and he wants to make sure that he isn't just finding a partner for the sake of finding one. He wants to do this right, which means finding a girl that he can relate to, going out on dates with, and getting their number while forming a strong bond. While the series does a great job of establishing a very intricate world with various different people, clans, and abilities, the benchmark for each arc is laser-focused on the different girls that Gero tries to court.

Almost every arc follows the same structure. Gero comes across a new girl thanks to Kinosaki's ties to the dirty underworld. Maybe it's another master who is having trouble with her clan, or maybe it's a girl that is being hunted down, or maybe it's a fellow assassin who needs his help with a job. Gero sticks by this girl to help her with a situation that usually blows up to cataclysmic proportions. The problem concludes with the girl going through a character arc about self-acceptance or understanding while simultaneously developing feelings for Gero along the way. The arc ends with them exchanging numbers, promising to follow up with each other after one of them or both of them mature a little bit after the encounter, as the arc generally highlights something that they feel they lack before jumping into a fully committed relationship.

What I love about these arcs is that they all pretty much perfectly balance character growth with world-building. The escalation of each arc usually ties into situations that speak to the larger, intricate world of assassins. There are various clans with domain over a particular element or technique. Maybe there's a disgraced clan bogged down by tradition, maybe a clan is already dispersed and is trying to reclaim itself, or maybe there's something even more sinister going on behind the scenes with Gero's family. Sometimes the threat is just one guy with a particularly twisted skill set. Each arc is more or less self-contained, but almost all of them leave room for other characters to return in future arcs while also building a larger narrative. I love how unique almost all of these characters are with their own weird idiosyncrasies. Almost everyone in the series is a little bit off, but the series almost makes it a point to clarify that everybody is weird for being a part of this underground world. If anything, the series also likes to play with contrasts. Sometimes the biggest and scariest individuals are a lot more wholesome than you think.

However, regardless of what the specific situation is, almost every arc usually ends due to a new girl doing something as a result of overcoming a problem. That isn't to say that Gero doesn't go through his own subtle changes throughout the series, but his character mostly remains the same. The arcs are more about him learning what it means to interact with other people or recognize what it is that he can do as a potential partner. He always remains the insightful, awkward, and endearing skilled assassin, who will put his life on the line to make sure people are protected. But he also recognizes when to step back or make it clear that he also needs help from others. The girls themselves are the ones who need to step up, and I respect the series for making the arc as much about them as possible. They may not always get the final blow in because some of these girls are just weaker or poorly equipped to handle the weight of the situation. But it's very clear that Gero would've died numerous times throughout the series if these girls had not step up for themselves. Every arc usually starts with there being a slight power imbalance between Gero and one of these girls, but then every arc ends with them somewhat on equal footing.

The relationships are also surprisingly adult in the sense that almost everybody recognizes that they cannot jump into a marriage with Gero, despite the very clear affection they have for him. All the girls also seem very aware of the fact that he is going out and potentially dating other ladies, so I'm not really sure how the series plans on resolving that towards the end. It's very clear that the story doesn't want to go the harem route, but all of the girls recognize that they need to work on themselves more and leave room for Gero to figure himself out before they can make any massive leaps in their relationship. I don't think I've ever come across a battle shounen that has handled relationships this way, and it feels refreshing.

There is a slight caveat to this, especially towards the later volumes, because the series seems to be playing with the idea that there is also room for potential romance between Gero and Kinosaki. While the series has done a fantastic job of establishing a good friendship between them and has made it clear that it is very good at showcasing how characters can learn from each other as the catalyst for a potential romantic bond, I'm not sure if the relationship between them can work just yet. I don't know how much longer the series plans on going, as it's clear that there are still quite a few loose ends regarding a bunch of characters and lingering threats from some of the more powerful clans established in the series. I hope that if the series does want to go the route of pairing Gero and Kinosaki together, then it better establishes how that relationship is going to work, especially when it is so clear that the poison clan is very traditionalist and therefore would not approve of him marrying another man. Don't get me wrong, I love my gay romances, and it would be very funny if Gero ended up with his feminine-looking wingman. But maybe that potential climax can tie into the larger themes of the story?

Ever since the first volume, there has been this underlying idea about how the old traditional values of people do more harm than good in the long run. A lot of these arcs are very much about the problems of previous systems and clan setups. Evil, manipulative people in power need to be torn down so that people who pride themselves on kindness and loyalty can take over. Gero isn't going out of his way to topple these systems, and you could make an argument that he doesn't really care much about the larger assassin world, but the situations allow him to upset a lot of power struggles for the sake of protecting the people that he now finds himself close to. I like that the series establishes that in his pursuit of a pure, genuine relationship, he ends up inadvertently dismantling the corrupt and manipulative systems that put him in this position in the first place. However, this is not something that he is actively trying to do, but rather a consequence of him just trying to live a happier normal life. I really like that because it shows that the story is able to juggle different things and genres rather effortlessly, because everything feeds into each other.

Despite the fact that the series is blatantly formulaic, everything feels very natural. I love the budding relationships that Gero forms with all of the girls because they feel like friendships that can blossom into romances rather than a potential harem down the line. I like learning more about this world and all of the different types of masters that are out there. There are so many unique power sets that are being established. From manipulating ghosts to perfecting the art of guns to the different ways sound can break or heal people. I do think the action set pieces themselves could afford to be a bit more dynamic to show off these creative powers. The creativity is still very much there, but the manga panels don't always offer a lot of breathing room to create this image of how intricate the action scenes are. There are also a few times where the artist would default to a character doing something so fast that nobody else can really react to it, or utilizing hard cuts in order to not showcase as much action as possible. Sometimes that works, but it feels like a crutch when overused.

That being said, the presentation is still above average. Gero farms so much aura effortlessly, but he doesn't come off as a try-hard. Much like the rest of the series, he strikes this amazing balance of compassionate and awkward, but also incredibly capable. It's made very clear that he is not the strongest person in the room, which prevents him from being a Mary Sue. This is a series that knows when to reel itself in and let everyone get a moment to shine. I'm glad I was able to stick with this series until the recent chapters. It's wholesome and surprisingly funny. This is the perfect breath of fresh air in a medium that can feel very oversaturated.