English Dub Review: Marriagetoxen “The Sound Master”
OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)
Hikaru blends in at a college to look after his new client, Shiori Ureshino, who is also the heir to a massive corporation, but soon finds that her aunt has sent a different Master to kill her, Naruko the Sound Master.
OUR TAKE
We’ve come to the start of a three part arc, which means another chance for Hikaru to meet a cute girl and another chance to fight another Master with a quirky power. This time he’s going undercover as a college student to protect a new freshman who is the target of her passed over aunt and uncle for control of a massive corporation. She’s looked after by another uncle, who insists on wearing nothing but a speedo and working out all the time, though some brief moments in the OP make me think he may also be in cahoots. But enough about the buff uncle, we need to talk about the client! Shiori is terribly anxious around people to the point of crying when she tries to strike up a conversation with them, but she understands her future position and wants to work on her social skills, which is certainly admirable and endearing. Similarly, Hikaru never got a chance to go to school, so he’s happy to get more chances to socialize, even if his methods for trying to impress others leads to really gross party tricks. Still, it seems to help Shiori get out of her shell a bit more as she tries her own party trick that doesn’t quite work out, but at least manages to get her new schoolmates to like her more.
And then there’s the Master who will be the main obstacle of this arc, Naruko, who handles sound. Even at the first student mixer everyone appears at, he makes an impression right away by wooing all the ladies, though it’s implied that he used some sort of sound technique to attract them, as he’s shown later hypnotising people with that ability. I know these powers are not really meant to follow the rules of reality, but I could definitely see the logic of using specific tones to trigger specific responses in people. The episode culminates in a camp out where Shiori still tries to make friends, but Naruko is waiting with traps to trigger during a “test of courage” of walking through the dark woods, along with a spooky urban legend already in everyone’s minds. A good start to the arc, and I look forward to see how it continues! Also, haven’t remembered to bring this up before, but the OP and ED songs for this show are certified bangers. They’re a great way to open and close the show which only adds to how great it’s been so far!
