Marriagetoxin Ep.09 - Kimie! That's a new level of villain for sure...

Episode 9 of Marriagetoxin continues the Kimie Arashiyama story arc by properly introducing the current arc's antagonist, the Beast Master Toshiro Dogo, who turns out to be the most insane character we have seen so far. He is seemingly trying to create new Masters by mixing the blood of others.

Gero is a target because his blood is of the highest quality among the Masters' bloodlines. Toshiro is cold-blooded and genuinely insane, as he killed one of his allies when the person proved to be no longer useful. A woman is working with him, though it is unclear what kind of relationship they share.

Who is that heartless monster that made Kimie cry? I'll get to him immediately. Gather the hamsters, tonight we hunt!

Apparently Mei is a multitalented person being able to get the certifications for pretty much every single job possible in the world.

Kimie is really just a side-show for him; he is using her as bait and nothing more, which is the source of her internal conflict. This is why I think she will be central to defeating him. Think about it: the hamster beast master defeating the overpowered villain in some contrived way.

Honestly, he makes a great villain because there is simply nothing to make him likeable, which is becoming much rarer in recent anime history as more and more villains are written as morally gray. Just give us someone utterly evil and let us smash his face. Simple and rewarding.

Kimie continues to be a very pleasant character and is arguably the most "heroine-like" among the heroines. While Kyouko started off great with her looks and voice, and Shiori took a more emotional route with her growth, Kimie now combines looks, voice, and growth.

I look forward to seeing how they conclude this story arc and what happens in the final few episodes, as I feel it is too late to introduce more heroines. It would be nice to have some time to revisit the others who appeared earlier—perhaps through a reunion of some sort?

Admittedly, they're doing a great job at making Mei look stunning in every single shot. A shame really that Mei is...

Kimie strength and weakness at the same time is one of the nice part of her personality. She's vulnerable, but tries hard.

I mean, there is technically enough space for another full story arc (4 episodes, of which 3 are free), but ending the series without seeing the heroines back together even once feels way too episodic, and I certainly hope that is not the case once I start reading the original manga...