A Cruel God Reigns

A Cruel God Reigns (Japanese: 残酷な神が支配する, Hepburn: Zankokuna Kami ga Shihai Suru, aka. "A Cruel God Rules in Heaven") is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Moto Hagio. The manga was serialized in Shogakukan's josei manga magazine, Petit Flower.[1][2] Moto Hagio was awarded the first Osamu Tezuka Culture Award Excellence prize in 1997 for A Cruel God Reigns.[3]

A Cruel God Reigns
Cover of A Cruel God Reigns volume 1 as published by Shogakukan
残酷な神が支配する
(Zankokuna Kami ga Shihai Suru)
Manga
Written byMoto Hagio
Published byShogakukan
MagazinePetit Flower
DemographicJosei
Original runMarch 19, 1993 – August 20, 2001
Volumes17

Plot

The story follows the ordeals Jeremy endures at the hands of his sexually abusive stepfather, Greg. He does not tell his emotionally unstable mother for fear of destroying her dream of a happy marriage,[4][5] but tampers with the brakes in his stepfather's car, killing his stepfather and accidentally killing his mother too.[6] The stepfather's older son Ian begins to suspect Jeremy of involvement in his father's death, and tries to get him to confess.[7]

Development

Hagio describes her impetus to write the story thus: "Because of my problems with my parents, I did a lot of reading about psychology and counseling. Among those stories were a lot about stories about sexual abuse. I always had a hard time understanding why other members of the family, particularly the mother, does not step in and help. In order to search for the answer to this question, I started that story. [... ] I had the idea, but it was such a dark, heavy story, it took me 10 years to find a way to put it into manga form. When I started A Cruel God Reigns, I told the editor it would probably last two years, but it took a lot longer; it took nine years [to finish the series]."[8] Hagio found that Julian (Ian) in particular was difficult to characterise.[3] The name comes from Al Alvarez's 1972 book, The Savage God: A Study of Suicide.[3]

Characters
  • Jeremy - The main character, Sandra's son. He is fifteen years old at the beginning of the story.
  • Sandra - Works in an antique shop, and is a mother to Jeremy. A very emotionally weak person who attempted suicide when her husband died (Jeremy was ten at the time), and tries to do so again when Jeremy is sixteen.
  • Greg - An English aristocrat, he proposes to Sandra but tells Jeremy that he loves him as well, abusing Jeremy and then threatening to leave and/or turn the abuse on Sandra unless Jeremy is compliant.
  • Vivi - Jeremy's girlfriend. In the beginning of the story, they are planning to consummate their relationship, but she believes Jeremy to be unfaithful after Jeremy kisses like Greg has taught him. When Jeremy confesses that he was raped, Vivi doesn't believe him.
  • Cass - a classmate of Jeremy's who is rumoured to be prostituting himself.
  • Ian - Greg's eldest son, in his late teens. A popular and successful student whose life has been interrupted by Jeremy's presence, he is torn between his discovery of Jeremy's culpability and his own growing attraction, and eventually the knowledge of his own father's misdeeds as well.
  • Matt - Greg's twelve-year-old son, withdrawn but loves his dog, Pepe, and his aunt Natasha.
  • Aunt Karen - Jeremy's father's sister.
  • Hannah - Maid at Greg's mansion.
  • Natasha - Lilya's older sister.
  • Lilya - Greg's late wife, mother to Ian and Matt.
  • Nadia - A kindhearted organist who is drawn into a love triangle with Jeremy and Ian.
  • Dr. Orson - A retired psychotherapist with whom Jeremy seeks a council.

Publication

Shogakukan published the manga's 17 tankōbon volumes between March 19, 1993, and August 20, 2001,[1][2] having decided to bring the series to a close in September 2000.[9] After completing A Cruel God Reigns, Hagio took a year's hiatus from manga.[3] The manga was republished into 10 kanzenban volumes between October 15, 2004, and February 15, 2005.[10][11]

No. Release date ISBN
1 19 March 1993[12]4-09-172171-0
2 31 August 1993[12]4-09-172172-9
3 19 February 1994[12]4-09-172173-7
4 20 October 1994[12]4-09-172174-5
5 20 April 1995[12]4-09-172175-3
6 20 October 1995[12]4-09-172176-1
7 20 April 1996[12]4-09-172177-X
8 19 October 1996[12]4-09-172178-8
9 20 May 1997[12]4-09-172179-6
10 20 September 1997[12]4-09-172180-X
11 20 March 1998[12]4-09-172241-5
12 20 October 1998[12]4-09-172242-3
13 20 April 1999[12]4-09-172243-1
14 20 November 1999[12]4-09-172244-X
15 20 May 2000[12]4-09-172245-8
16 20 January 2001[12]4-09-172246-6
17 20 August 2001[12]4-09-172247-4

References
  1. プチフラワーコミックス - 残酷な神が支配する / 1 [Petit Flower Comics - A Cruel God Reigns 1] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  2. プチフラワーコミックス - 残酷な神が支配する / 17 [Petit Flower Comics - A Cruel God Reigns 17] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  3. Thorn, Matt. "The Moto Hagio Interview". The Comics Journal. Archived from the original on 2008-09-17. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  4. J. McLelland, Mark (October 12, 2000). Male Homosexuality in Modern Japan. Routledge. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-7007-1300-4.
  5. Duffield, Patricia (November 2002). "Moto Hagio article". Animerica Extra. 5 (12): 1.
  6. "Moto Hagio Focus Panel". Anime News Network.
  7. Aoki, Deb. "Moto Hagio Interview". About.com: Manga. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  8. Aoki, Deb. "Moto Hagio Interview". About.com: Manga. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-11-14. Retrieved 2010-08-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. 小学館文庫 - 残酷な神が支配する / 1 [Shogakukan book - A Cruel God Reigns 1] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  11. 小学館文庫 - 残酷な神が支配する / 10 [Shogakukan book - A Cruel God Reigns 10] (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  12. "Archived copy" 小学館：コミック (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on 2012-04-13. Retrieved 2009-07-21.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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