In the first volume of the Lord Hades’s Ruthless Marriage manga, it feels like the focus is entirely on the more comedic elements instead of telling a romantic story about gods falling in love. However, once the second installment appears, Uei Yuho starts gradually implementing subtle elements that suggest that yes, there will eventually be an actual marriage.
Editor’s Note: There are mild spoilers for volumes 1 and 2 of the Lord Hades’s Ruthless Marriage manga below.
As a refresher, in the first volume Eros’ arrow hit Hades in the forehead. Everyone (other than Hades) was happy about this, because they were concerned about him being alone and hoped he’d find someone who could be his partner. Right around that same time, following being hit, he saw Kore. She’s the goddess of spring who ended up in the underworld for… reasons… and seems very invested in the idea of him finding someone too. However, while the arrow disappeared and she was the first person he saw after, it seems he didn’t develop any feelings.
As with the first volume of the manga, the volume 2 of Lord Hades’s Ruthless Marriage still involves various deities getting involved in Hades’ business and attempting to find him a spouse. Hestia, Artemis, Sphinx, and Nephele all show up, for example. So the series maintains its “monster of the week” style format, only with Grecian gods. It’s still silly, though Hades himself gets some rather poignant lines and insights from time-to-time.
However, what I really appreciated with volume 2 of the Lord Hades’s Ruthless Marriage manga is the slow burn that is the developing love story between Hades and Kore. There are times when we saw the two characters have moments in the first entry. However, here there are even more moments on both characters’ sides. When Apollo and Artemis appear, there are minor hints at Hades being protective and Kore sheltering or looking to him for support. When he is going to a temple for equipment, he doesn’t continue his search because Kore’s flowers are there. When Hades is on an apparent date, Kore ends up stalking the two of them to discover what’s going on.
Everything is happening in a subtle way. Since this is otherwise such a comedic series, it really makes these moments between Hades and Kore stand out. As such, even though these are occasional hallmarks of a traditional love story, they develop in the background of the manga so you sometimes only catch certain artistic decisions if you really pay attention. Meanwhile, when a more overt conversation suggesting a deeper relationship comes up, it’s even more appreciated.
It does make me wonder how the next volume of the Lord Hades’s Ruthless Marriage manga will handle the developing love story between the gods. Especially considering the tone of the tale so far. Given how many gods are introduced, it’s quite possible they could end up getting just as involved. But it’d also be great to spend more time on the build up so we can really enjoy what’s happening in Hades’ life.
Volume 2 of Lord Hades’s Ruthless Marriage is available now, and Yen Press doesn’t have a release date yet for the third entry in the manga series.
Published: Jun 1, 2024 09:00 am