What a setup! (Get it?) I love a good assassin story, and Gero is the best. I loved the little gender twist thrown in as well.

This has a really cool premise and the art style is really nice. I can’t wait to read volume two! I have recommended it to a few customers as well

A master assassin skilled at poisoning enemies who are in some way not good people is faced with a huge decision... how in the world is he going to get married before his grandmother the head of the poison masters forces his sister to leave the love of her life and get married to someone else. All so there can be an heir to continue the family line. I had no idea where this manga was going but I have to say I was intrigued!

I was unexpectedly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. It has the requisite action for a shounen manga, yet the unexpectedly sweet core of the protagonist genuinely wanting to find someone to love and get married to, and the useful and sincere advice given to him by the con artist about relationships, elevated this manga beyond the standard action fare. I'm looking forward to the next volume.

It’s definitely weird and explicit, but if you like dark humor, it’s very entertaining. It features the classic overpowered MC who struggles to communicate with girls. While it might not explode in popularity, it’s quite good and definitely worth a read. The ending felt rushed and concluded on a significant cliffhanger.

In this manga we follow our main character, Poison Master Hikaru Gero, as he begins on a quest to find someone to marry. He enlists the help of marriage swindler Mei Kinosaki after he rescues her from an almost certain death. This was a really fun first volume and I'm curious to see where it goes!

A great start to an interesting, bit gory and comedically dark, enemies to partners to lovers (at least I'm pretty sure that is where its going). A little cheesy at some points, but I loved the art work, and it definitely got a bit of a chuckle out of me. I am intrigued enough and enjoyed it enough to continue reading the story.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoy this genre bending manga. I look forward to seeing how the story folds out and the characters develop. It's a mixture of speed dating, Kill Bill, and pure comedy relief. Highly enjoyable.

I went into this thinking it’d be somewhat generic but I was totally wrong. The two leads are incredibly likeable from the start, it’s action packed, comedic, and still down to earth at moments. I absolutely loved the first volume and I can’t wait to read more!

Hikaru Gero is the Master of the Poison Clan, a powerful group proficient in deadly venom. However, the line ends with him unless he or his sister can produce an heir. Not wanting to subject his sister to a loveless marriage, Gero vows to find someone to marry and continue the clan’s legacy.

Unfortunately, while he’s proficient with poison, he’s not a hit with the ladies. After rescuing the sly Kinosaki, Gero thinks he’s got it all settled… except Kinosaki is not the person Gero thinks. That said, Kinosaki provides Gero with some prime dating advice as the two decide to go on missions together.

The premise is unique, and for something that could be very misconstrued, I think it handles the overall plot adequately. The initial romantic overtones with Genso and Kinosaki can make some uncomfortable, but I know it’ll develop in future volumes. I would argue that the first half of this volume unevenly establishes the premise, and the characterization is inconsistent with the series afterwards.

The art here is superb and highlights how sinister the seedy underbelly can be. However, it’s not so dreary, and there are times when the characters can get a little zany. This is a series I’ll keep my eye out on, if only to see the goofy antics of a wannabe Casanova.

A very interesting concept with some really cool characters. Good pacing, nice artwork and cool structure.

This was really interesting. You take a fun basic concept like looking for a bride but then you add some very interesting characters in a fascinating universe.
For now I had a hard time being really into it and wanting to continue, except for the fact that I must admit these characters are unique and interesting and I kinda want to spend more time with them. Same with the universe that is frankly interesting. I just think the plot needs to be clearer and a bit more engaging.

Although the premise was promising, this volume underdelivered in terms of character development and storyline. Readers who are interested primarily in action scenes will find it more interesting than I did.

This book has a kind of Sakamoto Days vibe in my opinion. It has the same battle shonen, but with meme worthy comedy. The plot of this first volume was pretty good - it really did a nice job setting up the way the story is probably gonna play out. The characters are pretty likeable, which is kind of surprising in a way because of the type of work they do. The art style is very interesting, like a said earlier - it's very meme comedy, not really lol funny. Even though I think this first volume was just ok I can see this series getting pretty good. And like I said earlier, if you are a fan of Sakamoto Days, I really think you'll enjoy this one.

Thanks to #NetGalley for an e-copy of #MarriageToxinVol1 to read and review.

Thanks Viz Media for the arc!

This was a really enjoyable read and a great start to the series. I love that Gero is an assassin but has morals and is actually good at his job. Watching him at the speed dating event had me cackling. I’m really curious about Kinosakis backstory and if they’ll have a potential love line with Gero. I can’t wait for volume 2 to come out.

To prevent his sister from being forced to marry and carry on the family name through producing heirs, Hikaru Geru from the famous poison clan of assassins, needs to get married, yet he knows nothing about love and romance. To remedy this, the asks for the help of conwoman Mei Kinosaki to teach him how to attract a marriage partner.

This is all a very parred down version of events in this graphic novel, as there is a rescue that occurs and various murderous hijinks. I found the panels a little confusing to follow along, the action was not as easy to decipher in other manga I have read. The art was very detailed compared to a typical shonen manga though, so that was nice.

I also found the storyline a little...boring. Sounds like it wouldn't be, but I really had to push myself to finish this, I simply didn't find the intrigue I wanted to in this story. I know this story, while it has some semblance of romance, is geared towards men, I was hoping it would be more fun and well, romantic. It wasn't, but that's probably my fault for expecting it to be when I typically read Josei and shojo.

I won't be continuing this series but I could see many getting enjoyment out of this; it simply wasn't my cup of tea. Hoping the story becomes easier to follow along in the future for readers.

I wasn't surprised when I looked up the publication info for this title to discover that it's from Shueisha's online web manga magazine Shonen Jump+, which are titles that have shonen conventions but targeted to a slightly older audience. Like fellow Shonen Jump+ title DanDaDan, Marriage Toxin is brimming with manic energy and a welcome mash of genres, from its obvious romantic comedy and yakuza story trappings to the introduction of an element-style villain wearing a diving bell (The Water Master!?) that could have come out of any shonen villain roster, with a few nods to Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.

Hikaru Gero is a Master Poisoner from a long line of poisoner assassins whose morals limit the jobs he takes to only the worst people in society. At the same time, he's the last in the line of master poisoners. When his grandmother demands that the family line continue, Hikaru's sister decides to uphold family tradition and get married, even if it means breaking up with her girlfriend and having an unhappy life.

Gero, hired to kill an accomplished Marriage Scammer, Mei Kinosaki, can't let his sister take the hit for him. So he frees Mei (after a failed, desperate marriage proposal to her) under the promise that she'll help him find a wife. That's the baseline premise, and up until here the plot is some pretty standard action/revenge/mafia manga stuff.

However, Marriage Toxin's tone changes drastically after the opening chapter to be much more of a romantic comedy, and some reviewers have found this jarring. For me, it wasn't much of an issue except that a number of fairly wild changes come into play. The cute and feminine presenting Mei is revealed casually to be male sexed, and presents as whatever gender is necessary to accomplish the marriage scam, and slots into being Gero's wingperson in his disastrous attempts at dating and courtship.

When regular dating attempts fall short, Mei suggests that Gero attempt to find a partner by saving women who have been targeted by the bad guys by scouring the dark web. This makes for some fantastic juxtapositions as Gero, mid-combat with all sorts of villains, solicits advice from Mei on basic social etiquette. It also leads into our first big fighting manga moment, as Gero takes on The Water Master, from a similar underworld family tradition as Gero, who manipulates water from inside his diving bell suit (in what feels very like a very Jojo style face-off).

The action is dynamic, but the strongest material in this book is the interplay between Mei and Gero, with his social ineptitude and her ascerbic instruction providing a lot of comedy material. Illustrator Mizuki Yoda's wonderful cartooning illustrates Gero's failure to understand social conventions, as his expressions shift from acceptably human to absurd internet-meme-style grotesque masks when he tries to connect with his dates. Though committed to being Gero's wingman, there's some obvious tension in the relationship between him and Mei that seems likely to build into a romance as long as there isn't editorial interference.

I'd give this five stars, if it weren't for the sudden tonal shift between the first chapter and the rest of the book. This feels very much like the author, Joumyaku, was advised to make changes from the editorial department after a less-well-than-expected reception to the first chapter. Making Mei gender nonconforming puts Gero in an interesting bind, in that their eventual romance means that neither Gero or his sister will be able to produce a blood heir bringing all three into conflict with the matriarch (who I'm guessing is this manga's "Final Boss"); and the whole idea of navigating queerness in a nuanced way in a heavily promoted Shonen Jump title (even with the + ) feels significant.

I'm excited to read volume 2!

I recently had the pleasure of reading Marriage Toxin by Joumyaku and Mizuki Yoda, and I must say, it did not disappoint! This manga is a perfect blend of action and comedy (with a hint of romance) that kept me hooked and wanting more. The story follows Poison Master Hikaru Gero, who is tasked with his toughest assignment yet – getting married. Gero, who is completely clueless when it comes to love and relationships, enlists the help of marriage swindler Mei Kinosaki. The duo sets off to find potential love interests, and I can't wait to see what happens next. The art in this manga is amazing as the action scenes are well-drawn and easy to follow, which is perfect since I'm usually clueless following along action sequences in manga. What truly sets Marriage Toxin apart is its message of love and acceptance. The inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters is a refreshing addition to the story, and Gero's heart of gold is one that can anyone swoon.

Overall, the first volume of Marriage Toxin is one I have to recommend to everyone. I firmly believe that whether or not you read for the potential romances, action, or another reason, there is always something to love about this series.

Thank you to VIZ Media and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t know what to expect starting this manga but I’m delighted I did.

The poison master Gero never thought about marriage but when his Grandmother starts to put pressure on him and his sister to continue the poison master clan line he decides to take the fall and let his sister be happy. This is where we find that Gero is no good with women.

This action packed story is filled with humour and hints of romance. A very solid debut!!

This was an interesting premises. It was a twist on a genre I love and I enjoyed it so much. Cant' wait to see more unfold.