It was only a matter of time until we got a manga based on the myth of Hades and Persephone. Even if we discount the popularity of world mythology-based Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, that particular myth has been making the rounds of the romance genre for some time, with no signs of slowing down; from Katee Roberts to Scarlett St. Clair to Lore Olympus, one of Classic mythology’s more unsettling stories is busily being reframed as a hot romance. The problematic elements of the original myth aside, Lord Hades’s Ruthless Marriage is a much sillier take on the tale featuring a much more proactive Kore (another name for Persephone) while still being faithful to its source material in some surprising ways.
The book opens with Hades returning to his domain after a sojourn elsewhere, and his two closest aids, gods Hypnos and Thanatos, are simultaneously stunned and thrilled to see one of Eros’ arrows sticking out of his forehead. Hypnos is happily (or as happily as Greek mythology allows) married to Pasithea, and Thanatos enjoys the company of ladies on the regular, so they very much want their boss to fall in love and get married. But Hades himself is simmering with resentment at Eros’ unwanted intrusion into his life, and he promises that he’ll grant one wish of whoever gets rid of the arrow without him falling in love.
Things get weird when he realizes that Kore, the young goddess of spring, has infiltrated his palace. She’s in his room (trying to get out of it) when he takes his self-imposed blindfold off, expecting to be alone, and the arrow dissolves as soon as he sets eyes on her. But…nothing else happens? Or at least nothing Hades is aware of, and so Kore gets to claim the prize. Her wish? For Hades to get married – to someone, but not her. The original myth now nicely skewed, Hades’ tribulations begin, with the overeager other gods descending to his realm to set him up.
This opening volume is at its best in playing with the gods as they’re portrayed in mythology and literature. As you can probably guess from the reworking of the Persephone story, creator Ueji Yuho isn’t interested in depicting the more troubling sexual aspects of the myths, something best seen in the chapter where the gorgons show up. Stheno and Euryale have revived their little sister Medusa and are keen to fulfill what they assume to be her wish of marrying anybody by wedding her to Hades, but the book’s recounting of Medusa’s myth makes her relationship with Poseidon consensual, something not the case in the original. While I applaud Ueji Yuho for having all three sisters present, I don’t particularly like how their story has been changed, although I do understand it. Despite that, Poseidon is mercilessly depicted as a crass womanizer who isn’t turned to stone by Medusa because he never looks her in the eyes, being more interested in something farther south. Zeus gets a similar treatment, and watching the interactions between him and Hera is one of the best parts of the story. It acknowledges their rocky relationship while also implying that they enjoy it, even though Hera doesn’t like being reminded that for the goddess of marriage, hers is pretty bad.
This sort of goofy-yet-correct take on the gods carries over to Athena (obsessed with contracts and her father), Demeter (shown as the world’s most overbearing mother), and Eros, who steals the show when he pops up. Eros’ bare-assed cheek is on full display in his actions as well as his (well-endowed) body, and he bounces through the chapters he’s present for like an over-caffeinated toddler. He gives the impression that he never really thinks about anything too hard (or otherwise), and watching him play off of Hades’ grim reserve is a lot of fun. Kore also gets the chance to do that, albeit while wearing much more clothing; we don’t know what her deal is yet, although we can see why getting away from her mother for a bit might be a motivation, but she displays a similar amount of energy that gets to Hades. He doesn’t like her or trust her, but he’s also not going to let her leave before he figures out what brought her to the underworld in the first place. She’s a very proactive character, simultaneously refusing to divulge her plans fully while refuting any notions that she will submit quietly to anything, which is a welcome take on the character. It makes for an entertaining dynamic, helped by Kerberos, whether in his three-headed monster form or his three separate round ball incarnation, which is adorable.
Research has been done on the art and the cast of characters. Goofy hairstyles form a counterbalance to the much more historically accurate clothing, and plenty of less popular gods appear in the story, with Thanatos, Hypnos, and Pasithea, as well as Medusa’s sisters, all rounding out the cast. The choice of the name Kore rather than Persephone helps to distance this from the original myth (and its many retellings). At the same time, poor Charon’s various mishaps with his boat as the underworld gets more living visitors than usual provide an amusing backdrop. If you’re a stickler about your Greek mythology, this may not work for you, but if you’re looking for something silly with a solid backbone, this is a good choice.
Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. Yen Press, BookWalker Global, and J-Novel Club are subsidiaries of KWE.
