Cerberus, a coliseum gladiator, has been ordered to become a stud for breeding a new generation of powerful warriors. For political reasons, Phaethon, a handsome priest of the sun god, has agreed to give the virgin gladiator lessons in sex. At first, Phaethon underestimates the reserved Cerberus, but the gladiator's eyes hold a smoldering love that borders on raging inferno. Can the love between two lonely souls break the chains of social status that bind them?

Sunshine in Hades has a story and art by Puling. Translated by Adrienne Beck and lettered by Deborah Fisher. Published by SuBLime (September 8, 2026). Rated M.

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

You know those books that you feel badly about not liking? This is one of them. Creator Puling is just so incredibly excited about getting to publish a manga in Japan (she's Chinese) and her enthusiasm for her story and characters just radiates from every panel. I love that. I really want her to succeed.

But the story isn't particularly good. I will fully admit that its…tenuous grasp of Ancient Rome may be part of why it doesn't speak to me. I'm one of those obnoxious history buffs who loves research, so with each jarring detail – mostly about how slavery functioned at the time, but also the names and clothing – I was taken further out of the story. There's also a pacing issue here, where Phaethon coming to love Cerberus doesn't feel like it's believable. Partly this could be because we're thrown into the story some time after Cerberus, a gladiator slave belonging to Phaethon's friend Amor Brutus, has been interested in and pursuing Phaethon after each game, but that really doesn't have to be a dealbreaker. The plot feels condensed when it really doesn't need to be.

The art, on the other hand, is quite nice. If your taste in BL men runs to the beefy, this book is going to make you very happy, because these guys are all slabs of muscle with great hair. Phaethon spends a lot of time “teaching” Cerberus how to have sex, so they're all over each other for much of the book. It's not a particularly explicit volume, and you never see anything more than butts and chests, but there's still plenty of eye-candy to be found.

Cerberus himself is a definite draw. In a moment of historical clarity, we learn that “Cerberus” isn't the name he was born with; it's what Amor Brutus renamed him after purchasing him. In plot terms, his name is meant to be in opposition to Phaethon's: Phaethon is the son of Helios the sun god and the character is his priest, while Cerberus guards the gates of the underworld. But Cerberus is also endearingly puppylike, eagerly pursuing the object of his affections and, uh, making some good use of his tongue while he's at it. Phaethon isn't nearly as well realized a character, which is a major drawback; much as I enjoyed Cerberus pursuing him, I never felt like Phaethon merited it.

There is another volume to come, and I'm curious to know if things settle down at all in terms of pacing and character. I may read it regardless, because seriously, Puling is just so excited to have published this that it's kind of infectious.

Erica Friedman
Rating:

Who doesn't love historical fiction that basically rewrites all the stuff we don't like about history? Not me, usually, but I don't have any agenda when it come to gladiatorial games. Blond haired blue-eyed shirtless Adonis in the Roman ring? Sure. Why not. Make it BL? He and a priest of “the sun god”? (which one, there were a number of them…) Absolutely! Go for it! By page 15 I had already thrown “historical” out the window and settled in for hunky guys in togas BL.

Cerberus, aptly named, is a dog of war in the ring and puppy as he looks at Phaethon, priest of Helios (an actual Roman God, good choice!). Phaethon isn't self-aware enough to admit he's into the hunky gladiator, so he teases the poor fellow, under the guise of teaching him seduction. Cerberus is adorable, really. When he confesses to Phaethon, you can practically see his tale wag.

Of course, this can't be easy. Their relationship, such as it is, is made out to be a forbidden love. In fact, homosexuality in the form of pederasty was not uncommon in Ancient Rome, but we know that Roman men did not take kindly to the role of uke, considering it unmanly. Slaves on the other hand were property and could be used as citizens liked. In “reality” Phaethon could have had Cerberus as much as he liked, but they could not have had a relationship as we understand it. None of which is important here at all, as there are politics and mystery and of course, non-consensual sex and sexual assault…and eventually two pretty men having loving sex. Bad guys are very bad, and good guys are extra good, Helios is in his heaven and all's right with this BL manga. The righteous are rewarded.

This is the author's first English release. Overall, it's a good one, as long as you're not picky about your Roman religions being accurate. It's all very pretty and sexy if that's your jam, and silly if you're me and all you care about is the interior design and sacred spaces of the ancient world.

Kennedy
Rating:

In a manga and light novel landscape where there's a glut of nondescript fantasy worlds, I can understand why Ancient Greece or Rome might seem appealing as a setting, both as a writer and audience member. After all, it allows you to get away with a lot of the same tropes and dynamics present in those nondescript fantasy worlds. Best of all, it's something—anything—different, and sometimes that alone can be a powerful force. And the good news is, yes, if that's all you want—a different setting, no matter what—you'll get what you want out of Sunshine in Hades. Unfortunately, if you want literally anything else—or worse, if you want specifically either Rome or Greece, rather than a weird blend of the two—you're out of luck.

Sunshine in Hades takes place in a land that sometimes takes from Ancient Rome, and sometimes Ancient Greece, and follows the sex lessons between Cerberus—a slave and warrior—and a priest named Phaethon. Much like I hope you weren't hoping for the setting to have anything in the realm of historical specifics, I hope you weren't hoping for that dynamic to get unpacked in literally any way, because it doesn't. Perhaps that's why they feel so hollow. Well, that or the story, which often feels like it's trying to do way too much. Phaethon is offering Cerberus sex lessons so Cerberus can be a stud, but then Cerberus catches a bad case of the feelings—feelings which Phaethon is hesitant to admit whether or not he can reciprocate.

That's the main thing going on, and really, the only thing we need going on. And yet, there are a number of half-baked attempts at making things more complicated. Normally, I'd welcome the idea of doing more with the story—especially considering that our historical setting is little more than an aesthetic. None of the historical aspects are really dwelt upon, and are more there for vibes than anything else. But anyway, the story often trips over itself by either barely bothering to explain why things are happening, having them happen way too quickly, and so on. It gets to the point where you can't help but wonder, “Is any of this even necessary?” While it's always great to see a more fleshed out (ha) story, it bears repeating that there's nothing wrong with a simple story that's well-executed. This one, alas, felt like it was desperately trying to fill page space with writing that only half-makes sense, and sex scenes that lack much satisfaction probably because it's so easy to feel disengaged with the story and characters.