REVIEW: ‘Marriagetoxin’ Episode 3 — “My First”

Marriagetoxin Episode 3 is another intriguing and entertaining episode that adds depth to the characters while satisfyingly advancing the overarching narrative.

Marriagetoxin Episode 3 starts with a flashback of Hikaru (Haruki Ishiya) and other members of his family as children, being shown a “Human Zoo” exhibit. This was done to show how every type of human interacts and to learn the several types of humans they will assassinate.

This flashback seems to have little to do with the rest of Marriagetoxin Episode 3 and serves as an uncanny cold open. However, it does a great job of displaying the painstakingly detailed and emotionally striking aspects of Hikaru’s training, as many of the people shown seem to be innocent individuals living their lives.

Flashbacks in Marriagetoxin Episode 3 show the risks of fighting Masters.

After the opening, the episode resumes where the previous one left off, with Hikaru fighting Ushio (Mariya Ise). She gains the upper hand on him as he is left in a vulnerable position without his toxins and poisons. However, this changes quickly when Himekawa (Anna Nagase) risks her life to obtain a syringe containing a mysterious toxin for Hikaru. This turns the tide of the battle as he then easily takes out Ushio thanks to his enhanced speed and precision.

Halfway into the fight, Marriagetoxin Episode 3 jumps back into Hikaru’s memories for the second time. It shows a flashback of him being lectured about fighting Masters and the risks involved. It explains how fighting other Masters is not worthwhile unless there’s a lot of money at stake or victory is assured. The flashback also made it clear that fighting other Masters risks revealing their abilities. This may explain why the fight was so quick and why we don’t know which toxin Hikaru injected himself with or what exactly its effects were, only that it enhanced his physical abilities.

The fight scene’s short length is a bit disappointing in Marriagetoxin Episode 3.

The fight scene’s short length, even given its start in the last episode, is a bit disappointing, since the fights are one of the anime’s most animated and stellar elements from Bones so far. However, it still successfully highlights Himekawa’s personality as a confident, strong-willed woman who, in her words, doesn’t like being pegged as a damsel in distress. This personality enabled her to risk her life to help Hikaru win the fight. He verbally acknowledges this and makes him reflect on how happy he is about their meeting. The fight scene, though short, also featured an intense but melodic background song that enhanced it, maintaining the anime’s stellar soundtrack so far.

After Hikaru wins the fights, he saves Ushio by making a cream for her skin upon learning that she’s allergic to pure air after breaking her suit in the last episode. The group then returns to Himekawa’s base, and Hikaru is showered with gratitude from Himekawa, the family who owns the painting she recovered, and even Kinosaki (Shion Wakayama), who thanks him for helping him save his brother. 

The dialogue between Hikaru and Himekawa in Marriagetoxin Episode 3 is simple yet incredibly genuine.

These are touching scenes that reward several of Hikaru’s good deeds, juxtapose his personality and deeds as an assassin, and add more depth to his character. The rest of Marriagetoxin Episode 3 shows Hikaru and Himekawa going on a date orchestrated by Kinosaki. They go to an odd shark-themed restaurant to Himekawa’s glee. There, Hikaru shows his vulnerability to someone other than Kinosaki for the first time in the series, telling Himekawa a little about himself and even asking her to be friends before they can date.

Their dialogue, while simple, is incredibly genuine, and the characters show actual connection for the first time and provide the first true progression in Hikaru’s journey into getting hitched. The scene also proves how great the anime’s characters are so far, as they’re all endearing and expressive in unique ways.

Marriagetoxin Episode 3 ends with Hikaru making his second friend and Kinosaki proposing his next target to save and potentially court, noting that he’ll be more successful in his goal if he meets more women.

Marriagetoxin Episode 3 is another entertaining episode that fantastically extends and highlights the anime’s cast while advancing the narrative. It also notably shows how fast and efficient the anime’s pacing has been so far. As each episode progresses, the narrative effectively sets a great standard for future episodes.

Marriagetoxin Episode 3 is streaming on Crunchyroll.

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