REVIEW: ‘Marriagetoxin’ Episode 4 — “The Sound Master”

Marriagetoxin Episode 4 is another emotionally captivating episode that introduces an interesting character and a new villain. While less exciting than previous episodes, it excellently showcases the anime’s unique character writing and humour.

Marriagetoxin Episode 4 begins with  Hikaru (Haruki Ishiya) attending a drinking party for his newly assigned client, Shiori Ureshino (Asaki Yuikawa). Shiori is an incredibly shy first-year college student who attended this party to introduce herself to her college mates and get out of her shell. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work out well for her as she still struggles to talk to people.

The scene then switches back to when Hikaru and Kinosaki (Shion Wakayama) were assigned to follow and serve as her security. Following his death, her father left his company to Shiori, but her aunt, who believes the company should be hers, has hired an assassin to take her out. Her muscle-bound uncle hires Kinosaki and Hikaru to watch over her until the threat is dealt with, including enrolling her in college.

In Marriagetoxin Episode 4, we see how Hikaru and Kinosaki got involved in Shiori’s life.

The scene then switches back to Hikaru, who steps in after Shiori’s failed attempt at introducing herself with a disgusting party trick where he regurgitates copious amounts of alcohol into a solid form.

The opening scenes in Marriagetoxin Episode 4 introduce Shiori and her crippling social anxiety while also offering some goofy moments, such as Shiori’s uncle briefing Hikaru and Kinosaki about her and their mission while holding the entire group in his arms as they sit in chairs, and Hikaru’s party trick.

After his trick fails to impress, another suspicious-looking student, Naruko, whom all the ladies instantly fall for, introduces himself. The next scene sees Shiori explaining why she’s attending a drinking party despite having a target on her back. We see a short but emotional backstory recounting Shiori and her father’s conversation on his deathbed as he advises her to try her best to make friends and enjoy life.

This gives her the motivation to change and explains why she’s so determined. Hearing this, Hikaru declares he won’t stop her because his goal is to keep her safe, regardless of her actions.

A short but emotional backstory in Marriagetoxin Episode 4 gives more insight into Shiori’s mindset.

Despite its brevity, the flashback is emotionally gripping and visually striking, thanks to its distinct facial animation and expressions from Bones. With this scene in Marriagetoxin Episode 4, the anime also continues its track record of providing great backstories and motivations for each character so far.

As the trio head home, Naruko is revealed to be the assassin after Shiori, and subsequent scenes reveal that he’s the Sound Master. He’s able to control others through waves and frequencies, including his employer, Shiori’s aunt. He then heads directly to Shiori’s school and takes the initiative to attack her entire class, using an explosive sound frequency mimicking the strength of an earthquake.

However, Hikaru springs into action by injecting himself with a substance that increases his speed, allowing him to secure Shiori. The attack and Hikaru’s actions make both masters aware of each other, but neither goes after the other.

Hikaru’s defense underwhelms due to less-than-impactful animation.

This scene is notably the most exciting part of Marriagetoxin Episode 4, yet it includes no action or impactful animation, which is a shame. Sound Master’s abilities are incredibly powerful and unique, and the episode does a great job of showing how he uses them in subtle yet detailed ways, from using his voice to control people to using his entire body to amplify sound waves destructively.

Despite almost being killed, Shiori decides she wants to attend a camping trip with other students, while Naruko plans his next attack. At the campsite, Hikaru does his best to impress with his theatrical cooking skills while Shiori tries her best to approach people.

When this doesn’t work, she is inspired by Hikaru’s performance at the bar and decides to dress up as a magical girl to perform food tricks, which surprisingly impresses the other students. This scene further enhances the episode’s goofy nature, as it feels like each character, aside from Kinosaki, is trying their best to one-up the others with dumb antics, a few of which provide good laughs.

Overall, Marriagetoxin Episode 4 is merely set up for what’s to come.

The next performance comes from one of the students, who begins telling a ghost story about the legend of Lord Chladni, a local deity and monster whom villagers sacrificed children to during World War II in hopes of good fortune. Since the custom has long been abolished, and the village has since been abandoned, the deity now awaits its next sacrifice. Hikaru brushes off the outrageous story, and the episode ends with Naruko setting up his next grand attack.

Marriagetoxin Episode 4, while far from the most exciting episode so far, still manages to entertain with its characters and their goofy antics. However, the episode feels more like a set-up for the next, especially given the noticeably slower pacing compared to previous episodes.

Marriagetoxin Episode 4 is streaming on Crunchyroll.

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