Lord Hades’s Ruthless Marriage Volume 3 Review
Since he was pierced by Eros’s arrow, Hades, Lord of the Underworld, has been pursued by innumerable potential brides: goddesses, nymphs and other immortals and has failed to be moved by a single one. In fact, they’ve caused him nothing but trouble and, when the gorgeous nymph Minthe appears, a ghost from his past, he’s cruelly reminded that his powers can kill a living being with one touch. Minthe, it seems, has been revived and much to Kore’s annoyance because the goddess of spring, who’s still very much in evidence in Hades’ kingdom, is hoping that Hades will realize how much she has come to mean to him. However, Kore is nothing if not tenacious and she’s been working hard to create a flower that will not die when Hades touches it.
Meanwhile, other gods continue to meddle and harass Hades. The Goddess Styx appears to remind Hades of the vow he took when he drank the waters of her river and assumed his role as Lord of the Underworld. Apollo turns up to whisk Kore away and then Nemesis, Goddess of Retribution, tells Hades, “Now’s the time to acknowledge your love for your own self… and engage in sologamy!” The unfortunate consequence of her suggestion (that Hades should marry himself) is that he is transformed into a goddess, attracting the unwanted lascivious attentions of Poseidon and even Zeus. But even though all this elicits from Hades is his reaffirmation that he has no love for anyone, not even himself, he later admits to Kore that he finds her flowers ‘pleasant’. Could this admission be the breakthrough Kore has longed for…?
But there’s never a dull moment in Hades’s kingdom. The denizens of Hades are suddenly overwhelmed by a sudden influx of the newly dead, casualties of war in the world of the living, and every soul must be judged. Who’s responsible? Ares, God of War makes his entrance. A confirmed bachelor, he cheerily tells Hades, “When I’m through with you, the only thing you’ll be marrying is your work!”
Just as Hades is beginning to realize that – in spite of his protestations – he really might feel something for Kore, who should turn up but voluptuous Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, who installs herself in Hades’s bedroom. Isn’t she already married to Hephaestos? And Hades can’t hide from Aphrodite the way he feels about Kore… Just then, Kore’s mother, Demeter arrives – and she’s absolutely furious (again). Zeus (Kore’s father) steps in to speak on Demeter’s behalf, allowing her to whisk Kore back to the world of the living. Suddenly Hades’s palace is quiet and empty and the Lord of the Underworld is alone once more.
The final volume of Lord Hades’s Ruthless Marriage comes in at 300+ pages in Yen Press’s impressive edition, with four colour pages at the front too that showcase mangaka Ueji Yuho’s versatility as an artist. Readers familiar with Ancient Greek mythology will know the outcome of this story already – so for them the interest in reading Ueji Yuho’s version will be in how divertingly it’s told, rather than in finding out what actually happens. And, amidst the extremely lively goings-on in the Underworld, what matters is whether the slow burn of Hades’s feelings for Kore (and he is the god who doesn’t have any feelings) will cause a change of heart in this cold, detached immortal. Can the mangaka make us empathize with their impassive protagonist as he comes to realize that being in Kore’s company is vitally important to him? All the would-be brides for the Lord of the Underworld have been obsessed with what such a catch would do to enhance their own reputations – only Kore seems to be concerned about how Hades feels in all this Eros-induced chaos. Luckily, Ueji Yuho is very skilled at drawing facial expressions – and watching Hades’s reactions as he realizes that he may be about to lose Kore is really impactful; by the third volume, we’ve come to empathize with him and his impossible predicament. (And yes, that is that pomegranate on the cover art… if you know, you know.)
I’ve really enjoyed my time with this beautifully drawn and cleverly re-imagined version of the Greek myth that explains the seasons of the year in terms of gods and goddesses – and I recommend it to all who love revisiting the myths and legends of the Ancient Greeks, whether it be in graphic novel form (Lore Olympus, maybe?) or reimagined for younger readers (Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson).
Translation for the Yen Press edition is by Tomo Kimura and lettering is by Adnazeer Macalangcom; both work well together to convey the story and the different voices of the Ancient Greek immortals as reimagined by the mangaka. Even though this is the end of this series, it was just announced that the mangaka’s current series A Peach Offering for the Imperial Court (set in Ancient China) will become available from February 15th on BookWalker.
Our review copy was supplied by Yen Press.
