Lord Hades’s Ruthless Marriage Manga Quantity 1 Evaluation
The creation of a manga based on the story of Hades and Persephone was inevitable. One of the more unsettling stories from Classic mythology is busily being reframed as a hot romance, from Katee Roberts to Scarlett St. Clair to Lore Olympus. This particular myth has been making the rounds of the romance genre for a while, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down, even if we discount the popularity of the world mythology-based Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Leaving aside the problematic aspects of the original myth, Lord Hades’s Ruthless Marriage is a considerably funnier retelling of the story that shows a lot more proactive Kore (another name for Persephone), while remaining surprisingly loyal to its source material.
After a brief absence, Hades returns to his realm in the beginning of the book, and his closest allies, the gods Hypnos and Thanatos, are both surprised and delighted to see one of Eros’ arrows protruding from his brow. They both hope that their employer would find love and marry Pasithea because Hypnos is blissfully—or as happily as Greek mythology permits—married to her, and Thanatos frequently hangs out with women. However, Hades is brewing with fury over Eros’ unwelcome interference in his existence, and he makes a vow to grant one wish to the person who removes the arrow without falling in love.
When he discovers that Kore, the youthful goddess of spring, has broken into his castle, things start to go strange. When he removes his self-imposed blindfold, thinking he is alone, she is in his room trying to escape out, and the arrow vanishes the moment he looks at her. However, nothing more occurs? Kore gets to take home the prize since, at the very least, nothing that Hades is aware of. Her desire? for Hades to wed someone, but not herself. Now that the original narrative has been subtly twisted, Hades faces difficulties as the eager other gods invade his domain to set him up.
Playing with the gods as they are portrayed in mythology and literature is where this first volume excels. Creator Ueji Yuho isn’t interested in presenting the more problematic sexual components of the myths, as you can probably infer from the rearrangement of the Persephone tale. This is most apparent in the chapter when the gorgons appear. Medusa has been brought back to life by Stheno and Euryale, who are eager to grant her wish to marry anybody by taking her to Hades. However, the book’s version of Medusa’s myth makes her relationship with Poseidon voluntary, which is not the case in the original. I think it’s great that Ueji Yuho brought the three sisters together, but even though I understand the changes made to their tale, I still don’t like it. Even still, Poseidon is cruelly portrayed as a sneaky flirt who avoids Medusa’s stone treatment by never looking her in the eyes and instead focusing on something further south. Similar treatment is given to Zeus, and one of the highlights of the narrative is witnessing his interactions with Hera. Though Hera dislikes being reminded that, for the goddess of marriage, hers is not the best marriage, it acknowledges their difficult connection while also suggesting that they like it.
This kind of silly yet accurate interpretation of the gods extends to Athena, who is fixated on contracts and her father, Demeter, who is portrayed as the world’s most controlling mother, and Eros, who steals the stage whenever he appears. Along with his (well-endowed) body, Eros’s bare-assed cheek is on full display in his behaviors. He moves about the chapters he’s in like an overindulged infant. He conveys the idea that he never truly considers anything too serious (or not), and it’s entertaining to watch him play off of Hades’ stern reserve. Kore also gets the opportunity to do that, albeit she does so while donning a lot more clothes; her energy level is comparable to that of Hades, but we don’t yet know what her problem is, though we can understand why wanting to get away from her mother for a while may be a motivator. Even though he doesn’t like or trust her, he won’t let her go until he discovers what originally led her to the underworld. She’s a highly proactive character, which is a welcome twist on the role given that she refuses to completely reveal her plans while also dispelling any ideas that she will surrender to anything passively. Whether in his three-headed monster form or his charming three-part round ball incarnation, Kerberos adds to the fascinating dynamic.
Studies of the artwork and the ensemble of characters have been conducted. The far more historically accurate attire contrasts with the ridiculous haircuts, and a number of lesser-known gods make appearances in the narrative, including Thanatos, Hypnos, and Pasithea in addition to Medusa’s sisters. To further set this apart from the original myth (and its numerous retellings), Kore was chosen as the name instead of Persephone. Meanwhile, an entertaining background is provided by poor Charon’s numerous boat disasters as the underworld receives more live guests than normal. This might not be for you if you’re a stickler for Greek mythology, but it’s a wonderful option if you’re searching for something goofy with a strong foundation.
