Marriage Toxin - Ch. 150.1 - Bonus Chapter 34

[MangaDex]

 

[Xonthelon]

I didn't expect so much foreshadowing in a christmas extra chapter (even if we already knew about the scar)

 

[SuperOniichan]

This is the biggest sausage party I expected to see in an extra chapter of a harem manga.

 

[FlorianGran]

Gerosaki endgame is so happening

 

[SuperOniichan]

Gerosaki endgame is so happening

I might be missing something, but are you really expecting a BL ending to a Shonen Jump harem battle shonen manga?

 

[Sakuyadorf]

You might think its 4 guys and 1 girl but TOO BAD
ITS 5 GUYS BURGERS AND FRIES

 

[Qyubey]

I might be missing something, but are you really expecting a BL ending to a Shonen Jump harem battle shonen manga?

Yes

 

[SuperOniichan]

Yes

Obviously, I don't know how the series will end because I can't time travel or read the author's mind, but I doubt there's any objective chance of it happening. Unless you go into full-on screaming over shonens fujoshi mode.

 

[Jenaxu]

I might be missing something, but are you really expecting a BL ending to a Shonen Jump harem battle shonen manga?

Absolutely. Imo the story is very very clearly written with Kinosaki as the lead "heroine"; there are so many flags that put him head and shoulders over the other romantic options so I can only really see it being a Gerosaki ending, a no-romance ending, or maybe a very slight chance at a harem ending (although that seems too in line with the ambitions of the clan).

 

[fight2live]

Christmas with the boyz

 

[SuperOniichan]

Absolutely. Imo the story is very very clearly written with Kinosaki as the lead "heroine"; there are so many flags that put him head and shoulders over the other romantic options so I can only really see it being a Gerosaki ending, a no-romance ending, or maybe a very slight chance at a harem ending (although that seems too in line with the ambitions of the clan).

And you're not at all bothered by the fact that this is a harem battle shonen manga in Shonen Jump? You don't even try to justify this nuance to yourself? Just expecting it without any doubt, even though the manga is aimed at straight men and is not marked as BL anywhere? I'm not saying it's impossible in principle; I'm just curious how people justify it, atleast to themselves. After all, this isn't shoujo, and it's not a work with female protagonists for a male audience like Nanoha.

 

[PDGAreject]

You might think its 4 guys and 1 girl but TOO BAD
ITS 5 GUYS BURGERS AND FRIES

Incredible work

 

[PDGAreject]

Gerosaki endgame is so happening

If I spent two weeks catching up on this manga only for this to happen, I'm gonna be so fucking p...leased

 

[Jenaxu]

And you're not at all bothered by the fact that this is a harem battle shonen manga in Shonen Jump? You don't even try to justify this nuance to yourself? Just expecting it without any doubt, even though the manga is aimed at straight men and is not marked as BL anywhere? I'm not saying it's impossible in principle; I'm just curious how people justify it, atleast to themselves. After all, this isn't shoujo, and it's not a work with female protagonists for a male audience like Nanoha.

Bro's never heard of subversion

No, I'm not bothered at all because you can justify it by just reading any chapter where the two of them interact or seeing how Kinosaki is treated within the story relative to all the other candidates lol. Like for god's sake this is the 100th chapter full colour spread

Kinosaki is literally the most popular character in the series and gets a magnitude more screen time (and time with Gero) than anyone else. Their backstory is also the most entwined with the overarching conflict, their relationship is the catalyst that starts the series, and it's very clearly a manga written with Kinosaki as the other half of the duo. Most harem manga set up like that end up with those two getting together!

They also basically don't treat him like a guy, much less a guy in a BL lead lol, and even if they did the entire plot was opened by Gero's sister being in a lesbian relationship and not being able to produce an heir. Why would it be shocking if they bookend it with another gay relationship? Like there isn't even a real secondary interest right now compared to other classic harem manga ala Nisekoi, I genuinely have no idea what the justification would be for anyone besides Kinosaki or how you would read it in a way that doesn't make them the very obvious front runner.

 

[SuperOniichan]

Bro's never heard of subversion

No, I'm not bothered at all because you can justify it by just reading any chapter where the two of them interact or seeing how Kinosaki is treated within the story relative to all the other candidates lol. Like for god's sake this is the 100th chapter full colour spread

Kinosaki is literally the most popular character in the series and gets a magnitude more screen time (and time with Gero) than anyone else. Their backstory is also the most entwined with the overarching conflict, their relationship is the catalyst that starts the series, and it's very clearly a manga written with Kinosaki as the other half of the duo. Most harem manga set up like that end up with those two getting together!

They also basically don't treat him like a guy, much less a guy in a BL lead lol, and even if they did the entire plot was opened by Gero's sister being in a lesbian relationship and not being able to produce an heir. Why would it be shocking if they bookend it with another gay relationship? Like there isn't even a real secondary interest right now compared to other classic harem manga ala Nisekoi, I genuinely have no idea what the justification would be for anyone besides Kinosaki or how you would read it in a way that doesn't make them the very obvious front runner.

If I haven't heard of subversion, then you clearly haven't heard of wishful thinking and targeting (however, judging by the shipping wars surrounding shonens, it seems few of the fujoshi have even heard of this). I still don't know how this will end, and I'm not going to say what definitely won't happen or what will, but your arguments are largely based on inflated expectations and very circumstantial facts (color spread as an argument, seriously?). By that logic, MHA should have long ago ended with a relationship between Baku, Midoriya, or Shoto, given the level of fujoshi shipping in the franchise and the popularity of exclusively male characters. And of course, you probably haven't heard that a manga featuring a character duo doesn't necessarily have to bring them together at any cost. Although, does it make sense to talk about that in a world where the author of Blue Exorcist was forced to mocking incest to make it clear she wasn't planning on it?

However, if you're really trying to counter BL shipping in male manga with the fact that there are lesbian relationships in male manga (yes, straight guys clearly have no reason to be positive about lesbian relationships, lmao), then this argument is pointless. I expected objective evidence, like mentions of some objective development or explicit scenes, but instead I received more indirect arguments and a lack of understanding of how sexuality works in media targeting, which makes even the slash shipping in Moriarty seem more reasonable. There, the author at least intentionally teased and refuted the ships only when the live-action actors were too bold with ship bait.

 

[FlorianGran]

If I haven't heard of subversion, then you clearly haven't heard of wishful thinking and targeting (however, judging by the shipping wars surrounding shonens, it seems few of the fujoshi have even heard of this). I still don't know how this will end, and I'm not going to say what definitely won't happen or what will, but your arguments are largely based on inflated expectations and very circumstantial facts (color spread as an argument, seriously?). By that logic, MHA should have long ago ended with a relationship between Baku, Midoriya, or Shoto, given the level of fujoshi shipping in the franchise and the popularity of exclusively male characters. And of course, you probably haven't heard that a manga featuring a character duo doesn't necessarily have to bring them together at any cost. Although, does it make sense to talk about that in a world where the author of Blue Exorcist was forced to mocking incest to make it clear she wasn't planning on it?

However, if you're really trying to counter BL shipping in male manga with the fact that there are lesbian relationships in male manga (yes, straight guys clearly have no reason to be positive about lesbian relationships, lmao), then this argument is pointless. I expected objective evidence, like mentions of some objective development or explicit scenes, but instead I received more indirect arguments and a lack of understanding of how sexuality works in media targeting, which makes even the slash shipping in Moriarty seem more reasonable. There, the author at least intentionally teased and refuted the ships only when the live-action actors were too bold with ship bait.

Gero and Kinosaki spend the most time together onscreen (we know the other girls go on dates with Gero based on extras but those aren't in the main series) have had multiple "dates" that tease them together and the current arc feels like it's saying outright that the two have some sort of childhood connection. What other candidate even stands a chance?

 

[SuperOniichan]

Gero and Kinosaki spend the most time together onscreen (we know the other girls go on dates with Gero based on extras but those aren't in the main series) have had multiple "dates" that tease them together and the current arc feels like it's saying outright that the two have some sort of childhood connection. What other candidate even stands a chance?

Dude, I've heard the exact same arguments about MHA, where people tried to convince me that Midoriya couldn't be with Ochako because he objectively interacted more with Bakugou and Shoto, and that Midoriya interacted with male characters far more than female ones, so he supposedly couldn't or shouldn't be canon with her or any female character. Not to mention cases like Nobara and Maki in Jujutsu Kaisen, where two characters were "those two girls" for almost the entire series. It's not an argument, it's an attempt to rationalize one's own feelings.

You can believe in this ship and place all your hopes in it; I have no right to forbid you anything or judge you for it. But indirect things like this are far from an objective argument (especially the typical set of shipping goggles like "dates" and the interpretation of any connection between characters as a strictly romantic hint). If this ship ever becomes canon, I'm sure the author has far better reasons than some delusional screentime calculation.

 

[Jenaxu]

If I haven't heard of subversion, then you clearly haven't heard of wishful thinking and targeting (however, judging by the shipping wars surrounding shonens, it seems few of the fujoshi have even heard of this). I still don't know how this will end, and I'm not going to say what definitely won't happen or what will, but your arguments are largely based on inflated expectations and very circumstantial facts (color spread as an argument, seriously?). By that logic, MHA should have long ago ended with a relationship between Baku, Midoriya, or Shoto, given the level of fujoshi shipping in the franchise and the popularity of exclusively male characters. And of course, you probably haven't heard that a manga featuring a character duo doesn't necessarily have to bring them together at any cost. Although, does it make sense to talk about that in a world where the author of Blue Exorcist was forced to mocking incest to make it clear she wasn't planning on it?

However, if you're really trying to counter BL shipping in male manga with the fact that there are lesbian relationships in male manga (yes, straight guys clearly have no reason to be positive about lesbian relationships, lmao), then this argument is pointless. I expected objective evidence, like mentions of some objective development or explicit scenes, but instead I received more indirect arguments and a lack of understanding of how sexuality works in media targeting, which makes even the slash shipping in Moriarty seem more reasonable. There, the author at least intentionally teased and refuted the ships only when the live-action actors were too bold with ship bait.

My argument is based on reading the manga with my two eyeballs, and having a basic understanding of what tends to happen when a romance story clearly has one relationship as more noteworthy/important than all the other ones and devotes significantly more time in fleshing it out and tying it to the broader plot... I also didn't say they have to get together at any cost, I said "I can only really see it being a Gerosaki ending, a no-romance ending, or maybe a very slight chance at a harem ending".

You're very adamant in arguing against that so I assume you disagree and think something else is more likely to happen. But not only have you not given any alternate candidate, your only argument against Kinosaki is... "nu-uh, it's gay"? For someone crowing so much about "objective evidence" somehow your main evidence to the counter is just bringing up completely unrelated, frankly very dissimilar, non-romance non-harem battle shounen lol where people are slash shipping rival characters. Do you really read Gero and Kinosaki's relationship as similar to Deku and Bakugo?? Like that's not even a lack of reading comprehension, that's active reading malpractice.

Again, the two are written much more similar to a straight relationship than a BL one. And if you want me to walk you through their entire character and relationship development I can, but again, I'm a little baffled because it's just... the main relationship of the entire series; I don't know how you would read it in a way that would feel otherwise.

Like you can't even engage with the points I do give because you somehow think his sister being in a plot relevant lesbian relationship is akin to random male fanservice bait lmao, like what are we talking about. It's not a parallel between a BL relationship and an unrelated lesbian one, it's a parallel between how both relationships would mirror the central tension between them and the desires of the clan. And since Gero initally goes out to find a wife as a sacrifice for his sister and to fulfill the desires of the clan, it could be a fitting bookend for him to also just rebuke them entirely and find a partner they truly love instead of marrying for the sake of producing an heir.

On top of that the core development of Gero's character is about becoming more open and honest with others and letting his own genuine charm shine through instead of being closed off or trying to be someone he isn't. He's doing this with the help of Kinosaki and the others so the fact that Kinosaki is a swindler who's still actively hiding big secrets and parts of himself from Gero is a particularly compelling contrast that is currently being built up as a major plot point. The conflict between those two elements coming to a climax seems like a natural inevitability, and given that their relationship is the main relationship of the entire series it's really not a stretch to think the romance manga might conclude it romantically.

And yes, colour spreads, i.e the art the authors wants to highlight most to represent the entire series, can actually offer good insight... It's not an accident that they've never done a colour spread with just Gero and another female lead, it's only been Gero and Kinosaki or the ensamble. And even when it's an ensamble Kinosaki pretty much always gets the center or largest portion of the page. The choice to promote the series like that seems to hint pretty obviously at who they think the most important characters are. That doesn't guarantee that they'll end up together romantically, but I think it at least shuts down pretty much any other option besides Kinosaki.

The art of writing a satisfying story is one of balancing investments and payoffs. If you invest a lot in one element of the story people will expect the corresponding payoff to be greater. And right now they've invested a lot more in Kinosaki and Gero than really anything else. Like ffs they literally had a practice marraige photoshoot where Kinosaki dressed up as a bride, "desperately asked her brother for a once in a lifetime favour" to do the photoshoot for them, and ended with a literal panel of heartbreak with Gero left lolol. I don't know if the scenes get more explicit without just beating you over the head with a frying pan branded with their wedding vows.

 

[SuperOniichan]

My argument is based on reading the manga with my two eyeballs, and having a basic understanding of what tends to happen when a romance story clearly has one relationship as more noteworthy/important than all the other ones and devotes significantly more time in fleshing it out and tying it to the broader plot... I also didn't say they have to get together at any cost, I said "I can only really see it being a Gerosaki ending, a no-romance ending, or maybe a very slight chance at a harem ending".

You're very adamant in arguing against that so I assume you disagree and think something else is more likely to happen. But not only have you not given any alternate candidate, your only argument against Kinosaki is... "nu-uh, it's gay"? For someone crowing so much about "objective evidence" somehow your main evidence to the counter is just bringing up completely unrelated, frankly very dissimilar, non-romance non-harem battle shounen lol where people are slash shipping rival characters. Do you really read Gero and Kinosaki's relationship as similar to Deku and Bakugo?? Like that's not even a lack of reading comprehension, that's active reading malpractice.

Again, the two are written much more similar to a straight relationship than a BL one. And if you want me to walk you through their entire character and relationship development I can, but again, I'm a little baffled because it's just... the main relationship of the entire series; I don't know how you would read it in a way that would feel otherwise.

Like you can't even engage with the points I do give because you somehow think his sister being in a plot relevant lesbian relationship is akin to random male fanservice bait lmao, like what are we talking about. It's not a parallel between a BL relationship and an unrelated lesbian one, it's a parallel between how both relationships would mirror the central tension between them and the desires of the clan. And since Gero initally goes out to find a wife as a sacrifice for his sister and to fulfill the desires of the clan, it could be a fitting bookend for him to also just rebuke them entirely and find a partner they truly love instead of marrying for the sake of producing an heir.

On top of that the core development of Gero's character is about becoming more open and honest with others and letting his own genuine charm shine through instead of being closed off or trying to be someone he isn't. He's doing this with the help of Kinosaki and the others so the fact that Kinosaki is a swindler who's still actively hiding big secrets and parts of himself from Gero is a particularly compelling contrast that is currently being built up as a major plot point. The conflict between those two elements coming to a climax seems like a natural inevitability, and given that their relationship is the main relationship of the entire series it's really not a stretch to think the romance manga might conclude it romantically.

And yes, colour spreads, i.e the art the authors wants to highlight most to represent the entire series, can actually offer good insight... It's not an accident that they've never done a colour spread with just Gero and another female lead, it's only been Gero and Kinosaki or the ensamble. And even when it's an ensamble Kinosaki pretty much always gets the center or largest portion of the page. The choice to promote the series like that seems to hint pretty obviously at who they think the most important characters are. That doesn't guarantee that they'll end up together romantically, but I think it at least shuts down pretty much any other option besides Kinosaki.

The art of writing a satisfying story is one of balancing investments and payoffs. If you invest a lot in one element of the story people will expect the corresponding payoff to be greater. And right now they've invested a lot more in Kinosaki and Gero than really anything else. Like ffs they literally had a practice marraige photoshoot where Kinosaki dressed up as a bride, "desperately asked her brother for a once in a lifetime favour" to do the photoshoot for them, and ended with a literal panel of heartbreak with Gero left lolol. I don't know if the scenes get more explicit without just beating you over the head with a frying pan branded with their wedding vows.

The more you write me walls of text interpreting secondary "evidence" and demanding that I take it seriously, the more skeptical you make me become. With obvious attempts to prove something to himself more than to me. Again, ship what ships you want. That's your business. But don't expect me to take all this as fact just because this is your OTP and you sincerely want to believe that all the previous battle shonens, where your BL ships sank with a great roar, mean nothing, because now it will definitely be worth it (c).

 

[Jenaxu]

The more you write me walls of text interpreting secondary "evidence" and demanding that I take it seriously, the more skeptical you make me become. With obvious attempts to prove something to himself more than to me. Again, ship what ships you want. That's your business. But don't expect me to take all this as fact just because this is your OTP and you sincerely want to believe that all the previous battle shonens, where your BL ships sank with a great roar, mean nothing, because now it will definitely be worth it (c).

Crying and whining about wanting to see more evidence only to then complain that it's too much evidence and not engaging with it lolol, you're so unserious. But again, maybe I expected too much if you're reading Gero and Kinosaki as being equivalent to Deku and Bakugo... I didn't know it was possible but you're just genuinely not reading their relationship correctly, like completely irrelevant to shipping or romance, you don't fundamentally understand what is going on in the story. At this point I'm really curious what you've been getting out of the last 150 chapters besides basic shapes and sounds.