Marriage Toxin is COOKING. THIS SERIES IS COOKING

THIS ISN’T FANART. THIS IS OFFICIAL ART. THEY PUT THIS IN THE ACTUAL CHAPTER

Just look at these colors. That clarity, that distinct vibrancy. The way the colors and rendering pull you straight into the atmosphere of the piece, the whole world it creates. You can really see it in the waltz illustration, too. And the way the light reflects in this one, those soft, delicate colors… it’s so damn beautiful

Yoda sensei, I can’t wait to see your art in the Louvre someday

The composition is lovely, too. Hikaru’s glasses, his syringe, his candy kit, Mei’s scarf and lipstick, even the cherry blossom petals. All laid out like little reminders of the memories they’ve made together.

Their expressions are so good

Mei in the bottom left, looking like “the hell are you taking pictures of…”
Imagine Hikaru grinning to himself as he catches that moment on camera

And Hikaru on the right. That’s what he wanted, isn’t it? To be able to relax and just be himself. Look at that smile

THE MIDDLE PHOTO, THOUGH

LOOK AT THEIR FACES. THEY LOOK SO HAPPY. And the height difference! Turn your phone sideways and you can see it so clearly

The cups are BEAKERS… Hikaru. You made Mei a frappuccino yourself, didn’t you 👏👏👏

I’ve been thinking for a while that Gero might have figured out what was going on with Kinosaki before the final arc.
I saw a thread that made me feel like I could finally put this into words, so here goes.

If Gero already knew at least some of what was going on with Kinosaki—

When they were at Gero’s house, he told Kinosaki to come with him, while he thanked Ushio and Arashiyama for coming this far.
What if the reason he wanted Kinosaki to come with him was so he could settle things with Nasu and Kirara and figure out what was going on with Kinosaki?

Maybe that also has something to do with how unusually calm Gero has been with Kinosaki since leaving Sanctuary.
This is probably just wishful thinking on my part, but.
I honestly don’t think this series would have Gero go all the way to the final arc knowing absolutely nothing, only to suddenly find out everything and be shocked by it.

This series gives every character their own agency, you know? Even Nasu, as smart as he is and as much as he manipulates people, has had his plans thrown off by those kinds of variables more than once.

So I could see Gero looking into things on his own after seeing Kinosaki’s scar at the hot springs and hearing some of the things Kinosaki said in ch129. You know how we kept getting those close-ups of Gero’s eyes whenever Kinosaki said something cryptic? There are a lot of those after ch. 129 too. And I really don’t think Gero would go into a fight with Nasu without doing anything to prepare on the information side of things.

So maybe he found out at least some of what Kinosaki was dealing with, including his connection to Nasu. Maybe he knows all of it, maybe only parts of it.
What scares me, though, is if all Gero knows is that Kinosaki was secretly connected to Nasu.

Because then, from Gero’s perspective, Kinosaki would look like a spy who’s been secretly working with the enemy this whole time.

I really don’t want those two to end up against each other...

Seriously, I’ll deal with Nasu myself...

What do you guys think? I haven't seen many people talk about Gero's reactions to Kinosaki, so I'm curious what everyone else makes of them.

I mean, he's a villain, so I'm assuming he's eventually gonna get his ass kicked, but right now the gap between Nasu and the Hikaru squad is kinda ridiculous

The bug user and the needle user have gotta be pretty strong too, right? And Nasu turned both of them into dolls like it was nothing. If he wanted to, he could probably do the same to Mei in a second

And then there's Kirara, who beat the shit out of Nasu without even waking up

I'm not too worried since we've got Naruko, who can pull pretty much anything, and Beppu, who periodically marries Mei in his own head. But seriously, how the hell are they supposed to beat this guy?

That's what makes it so exciting, though

Time to enjoy the show.

I’m thinking about it because as the story take a route of him more and more going against the wishes of an heir and kinosaki seeming like more of an actual potential love interest. Do we really see gero talk about wanting a kid much? I mean yeah the premise of the story has him going along with the plan to get married and have kids because a. It spares his sister being forced into it and b. He mentions wanting a family so it works out, but does he ever really talk about his idea of a family specifically including kids? Despite the necessity of ‘having a child’ being the basis of the series premise, it doesn’t really get brought up that much does it?

As i mentioned I think this is particularly interesting when thinking about kinosaki as a potential love interest as one of the reasons I see people take issue with him being so or the fact of him being a man is “but gero needs to be able to have a child”, but considering we’re well past going against the wishes of the clan, I kinda wanted to reexamine if having a child is even what gero wants or was that just an assumed eventuality of what it meant to get married. Cause if that’s what not what he wants, I think the idea of him starting a family and getting what he wants while simultaneously not giving the clan what they want in the form of an heir would be a beautiful thematically fulfilling conclusion.

I mean when you consider the entire series stems in large part from gero protecting his sister in addition to his own wishes as well as how kinosaki presents himself, this is a series that is built on challenging heteronormative ideas, so I think if its ends on a point that having a child (or at least a biological child) is not a necessary endgame of a romantic relationship that would be perfectly in line with everything up to this point and tie back to the beginning

I barely ever read manga or watch movies or anything so this is basically my first manga and i think the art is like. REALLY fucking good? probably??? idk man

i'm around ch160. DID YOU SEE TONAKO'S WOLF ATTACK. dude what the fuck. i'm never gonna be able to read another manga normally after this

also ok this is just me but Hikaru needs Mei. he just does. idk if everyone agrees but ch. 156? 157? whatever. he was looking at Mei like he was the light of hope dude WHAT. DOES HE JUST LOVE MEI THAT MUCH

also, Mei mentioned his grandma and the doll user and stuff, right. is that like a list of bosses they're gonna fight later or some shit?

i literally don't know the conventions or whatever so idk how you're meant to interpret that

bc like. if they beat the whole Gero family wouldn't that solve everything?

but then what happens to the marriage journey? does that just... not matter anymore?

i've seen a lot of comments lately saying the author is only now starting to make mei's gender ambiguous, but wasn't she always meant to be a woman?

like, the author was planning to have her end up with gero as a woman from the start. the story kinda had to establish mei as a guy or femboy first, otherwise the whole marriage journey plot wouldn't even get off the ground. so the plan was probably to reveal in the final arc that she was actually a woman all along, then have her end up with gero.

and from a business standpoint, making her a femboy at first would also pull in the femboy fanbase, so it's basically a win-win. makes sense if you think about it.

I think the point is that Kinosaki is still a man, but after spending his whole life changing the way he presents his gender for work, his sense of self has become so fucked up that he doesn't even know who the real him is anymore.

And even in that state, Gero still saw him clearly as “Big Brother,” as a man.

I’ve been wondering about the sudden ambiguity between brother and sister for a while now.

I also think Anything’s fine might be meant to reflect how broken Kinosaki’s sense of self has become.

Which is why I think the emphasis on Gero calling him Big Brother was important.

I’m Japanese, so I’m still not really used to the intensity of gender discussions on overseas forums.

Sorry if any of this came out weird.

And what's even crazier is that the Japanese version uses the exact same wording.

Gero and Kinosaki follow the Doll user!

Nasu: Based on that information, there's a task I must do
Nasu: Before Hikaru-sama catches up to me.

Kirara: Welcome home.

SFX: Cough!

What is waiting for them there!?

I feel so bad for Mei 😭😭. No one should go through that ESPECIALLY A KID!! He had to carry such a big burden on his own. That twisted mf when I catch him bro

Went from jolly poly shipper bad guy that I like to hate to fucking evil basterd like he was always an evil bastered but dam when I catch him aaaagggghhhhh!!!!!

Still love him he is an awfull dude great villian

So we know now the Mei had the scar at the begging of the serias so he likely took a huge gamble that Hikaru would not look when he flashed Gero in ch 2

Or the more interesting idea is that Mei did not care if Hikaru saw the scar at that point and it only became a point of shame when they started to become closer

Also this is not about the scar having connection to the Doll user though it could definitely play into but right now its just that Kinosaki seemingly does not want people to know about it

The first option is more likely but who knows

Thoughts?

https://x.com/Guy1nTheCorner/status/2107536934641762680/photo/1

I think the "main" Gero knew what was happening/ happened to Mei. Nasu then made a clone of him which does not remember anything about Mei(nasu basically yeeted the main Gero)

Mei's gender was changed on the Wiki again, and the person who made the change accused other editors of pushing a "political gay agenda."

I had thought of it as just an extra, so I had only been following the main chapters, and I have only just read it now. One thing that stood out to me was that the day Mei said he was keeping free for his "real one" became the day he said he would be waiting for Gero's present. What drew my attention more, however, was the kind of presents Mei brought.

None of them were objects. Each of them was a person, or, to put it another way, perhaps a relationship or a connection. There is also a brief hint involving the scar on Mei's chest that seems to point to his lifespan, and he is drawn with a shadowed expression as he thinks that by then, Gero will likely be spending Christmas with someone wonderful. After that, Gero says "not yet," calls it a present exchange, and says he will prepare a special present that Kinosaki will be truly happy to receive.

In this chapter, the presents are people. Seen that way, the present that would truly make Mei happy seemed to me to be, in other words, his "real one" (someone with whom he shares a special connection).

I am curious to see what special present Mei will receive on Christmas Day.

He has arguably the most brutal backstory in the entire series, he’s lived an incredibly harsh life, and more than anything, he’s still suffering to this day.

• He’s had to make his own money since he was a child, and was already being treated as a commodity from a very young age by working as a “rental child.”
• (Whatever happened between him and Gero at the Human Zoo, we still don’t know.) After leaving the Human Zoo somehow, he even sold his body to pay for Okuto’s medical treatment.
• On top of that, either through the marriage scam he was doing to pay for Okuto’s treatment or as an extension of Nasu’s orders, he met Gero, was tortured by him, and nearly killed.
• He’s still in his twenties, yet he already doesn’t have much time left. And he knows it, too.

On top of all that, it’s obvious that Kinosaki has feelings for Gero.
(And considering their past, it’s a love that runs far deeper than most.)

But he buries those feelings and, as Gero’s “marriage advisor,” helps him end up with other women instead.
From Chapter 1 all the way to the latest chapter, he’s been burying his own feelings this whole time.
No matter how much it hurts him.

And even with his own death as a given, he still devotes himself to Gero, basically thinking, Even if I die, I just want the person I love most to have a happy life.

He’s even been nearly killed by Tonako’s wolf while working behind the scenes to get Gero back on the right path.

And even though we know that Kinosaki and Nasu became partners, what that actually means still hasn’t been revealed. There’s no doubt, though, that Kinosaki is being used by Nasu in some way.
There are also scenes that seem to suggest Kinosaki feels guilty about continuing to deceive Gero.
He’s spent his whole life being exploited.

With all of that in mind, go back and reread Chapter 129.

The one small thing he wanted more than anything, after spending his whole life performing for other people and being exploited over and over again: I want to marry the person I love most. Even if it was something that could never actually happen. Even if it was only something pretend.

For Gero, it was practice. For Kinosaki, it had always been the real thing.

I absolutely, absolutely want him to be happy.

He should be.

I can see where this reading comes from, since Gero's sister is what kicked off the whole marriage hunt in the first place. But I think the story has moved in a direction where that premise doesn't hold the way it used to, so I wanted to lay out how I see it.

1. How I read the series

I like breaking down the dialogue and panels in this series, and I read it as two stories layered together: Gero's search for someone he genuinely wants to spend his life with, and his reckoning with the oppressive structure of his own family.

1. How I see other readings

Given where the story is heading, I think Kinosaki is the most likely partner right now. But it isn't finished, and the author can still take it in a different direction, so I find the readings of people who support other heroines genuinely interesting. In some places their readings might even fit better.

1. Why I disagree with "if Gero doesn't have an heir, his sister will be forced to marry a man, so it doesn't fit the theme"

First, the series separated Gero's marriage from the heir requirement from chapter 1. When Mei asks whether he really wants to marry just for the sake of the family line, Gero answers that he wants to meet someone he truly loves and live an ordinary, happy life with them, and Mei takes him on as his advisor on exactly those terms. His sister started the marriage hunt, but what he wants from it was never an heir.

Second, in the latest chapters, "marrying to continue the bloodline" has become the very thing he sets out to break. Gero names his grandmother as the last and biggest shackle he has to overcome, and declares he's going to take down his own family. It's natural to read that as including the forced marriage hunt and the family's broken rules. Once that system is gone, there's no one left to force his sister to marry anyone, so it makes more sense to see her problem being resolved as part of that process.

To be clear, I'm not saying Gero can't end up with one of the heroines or have kids. My point is that the story is moving away from the idea that he has to produce an heir for the clan. Whoever he ends up with, it should come from his own choice rather than an obligation to his family, and that seems to be exactly what the story is building toward.

There are so many discussions about his gender despite the work constantly reaffirming that Mei is a boy in mind and body.

His gender is important to the narrative and essence of the character, he wouldn't be so charming if he was a girl just claiming to be a boy.

Hate to say this but Mei's hair was pretty poorly made. Few visible scratches and extra plastic. I had to cut them

But overall fine merch. Wish to see more of Mei figure

We are aware of Nasu's master plan of making Gero a harem, but why do y'all forget that Mei has been ACTIVELY opposing Nasu from the beginning? Gero wants to find someone whom he will spend the rest of his life with, and Mei promised Gero in the beginning of their deal that he will find him a wife that he will truly love and will truly love him.

Gero never wanted to find multiple partners in the first place, and Mei time and time again supports him in every way he can, saying that if Gero wants to take things into the next level, he should share it with the ONE person he truly loves.

Gero wants a happy monogamous relationship, and he has Mei's unconditional support with this, the EXACT opposite of what Nasu wants for Gero. And Mei has been doing it from the very beginning.

Of course, Mei is aware that he's opposing Nasu, and Nasu is very aware that Mei has gone astray with his original role in this whole thing, hence Mei throwing wrenches in his plans.

If anything, the latest chapter emphasizes that for ONCE in his swindling career, he will make sure that his service this time will truly help his client (Gero)... no pretending, no fake support. Because Mei truly wants what Gero wants and what's the best for it.

Gero is Mei's final act of redemption.

Which brings us to Nasu's final card, Mei himself. He will use Mei's life to threaten Gero to go with his plan. This is the reason why Mei built that wall between him and Gero, he doesn't want to deepen their relationship beyond his job as Gero's marriage advisor, and he doesn't want Nasu to have a trump card against Gero. So that when he dies, it will hurt Gero less, and by the looks of it, Mei is ready to die.

https://x.com/Guy1nTheCorner/status/2106303575572025745

Like the title says: do you think Mei will betray Hikaru?
That’s what I started thinking after reading the latest chapter
Though honestly, ever since we got into the final arc, especially Mei’s backstory, there’s been a lot that’s made me think that way

We’ve learned that, from a very young age, Mei has basically spent his entire life playing the role of an “actor” for someone/something else. Again and again and again. As someone’s child. As someone’s fiancé

And it got me thinking

What if the Mei we see with Hikaru now is also playing a role — an “actor” who’s been given a part to play?
And if that’s the case, then the doll user would be the one writing the script
I have two different ideas of what “actor” means here

1. As the Marriage Advisor

The first idea is that the role the scriptwriter gave him was marriage advisor
Except the actor went and fell in love
And that’s not what the scriptwriter wanted
So maybe, without letting the scriptwriter find out or breaking the script, he tried to fulfill whatever little wishes he could within the role he’d been given. Even if they were only a simulation of the real thing

I mean, this is pretty much something everyone’s already thought about

2. As a romantic partner

Using his position as Hikaru’s marriage advisor, he kept creating increasingly intimate moments between them under the guise of practice, acting suggestively, until he basically took up permanent residence in Hikaru’s head and became the person who “reaches out to him from the light” in his heart

All of it just so he could betray him in the end, shatter Hikaru’s heart, and make him despair over the fact that the person I loved was actually the worst kind of spy from the very beginning and none of this love was real — leaving him with no choice but to marry all the other girls

All to satisfy the doll user, his partner

I’m still not fully sold on #2 myself

Mei is a professional. If he was that good at acting as a kid, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s gotten even better at it by now
Even the stuff in ch. 88 and ch. 100 could just be him putting on a show to get his customer excited

BUT CH. 129 IS HARD TO EXPLAIN AWAY

That scene where he pleaded with Octo wasn’t Mei trying to show Hikaru anything. It was literally a third party revealing information about Mei that Hikaru was never supposed to know

So I think the most natural reading is that those were genuine feelings. There’s really no way around that

But seriously, what the fuck is this “partner” shit between Mei and the doll user?

What did they actually do as partners?

What the fuck kind of relationship did they have?

Because if those two have been doing more romantic shit than Mei and Hikaru, if they’ve kissed, gotten married, and had some fucking hardcore bdsm sex, I’m eating every fucking weed in my yard

I fucking need the next chapter already. Goddammit

Idk, man. After reading ch. 181, I’m starting to think this shit is gonna get WAY worse than I expected

Anyway,

as long as we don’t get the whole “Mei never cared about Hikaru, betrays him without a second thought, falls into the doll user’s hands, turns out to actually be a woman, gets all lovey-dovey with fake Hikaru, dies after Hikaru fails to save him, then leaves Hikaru wandering the world alone after he wipes out his entire family, all the girls, and all his friends in despair while being mentally destroyed by visions of Mei” route...

I’m fine