The webtoon industry is on the rise thanks to several anime adaptations, especially since the popularity of Solo Leveling. Crunchyroll has a huge role to play in giving these anime a major global platform. So far, a majority of the webtoon adaptations have been action fantasies like Solo Leveling and Tomb Raider King. Stories like that usually focus on either an underdog or an overpowered protagonist as they navigate the supernatural world. However, things have slightly begun to change after the recent wave of announcements by Crunchyroll regarding the anime adaptations of webtoons. One of the biggest new projects for next year is The Remarried Empress, a popular romance fantasy full of palace drama.
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While the manhwa and light novel have already ended, fans have something new to look forward to next year with the anime debut and the live-action. The anime’s trailer has already been revealed, and it shares a brief glimpse at what to expect from the story. Of course, since the announcement has only been made, it doesn’t reveal all the details regarding the premiere yet. The Remarried Empress will be one of the biggest webtoon adaptations of next year, even though it’s not an action fantasy like Solo Leveling. However, there’s an entirely different reason as to why the series might not be the best choice for an anime.
The Remarried Empress Poorly Portrays Sensitive Themes
As popular as the series is among webtoon readers, it also can’t be denied that the series is hated for all the right reasons. While the light novel and the manhwa started out strong, it didn’t take long for readers to notice the issues with the portrayal of sensitive themes, especially slavery. The majority of the reason why the series gets hate is for villainizing a young slave girl, Rashta, while an older, privileged Empress is the victim. The story glosses over the issues of slavery while treating them as inferior to ordinary citizens, including nobles and commoners. The protagonist, Navier, is portrayed as an Empress with deep love for her kingdom, yet somehow she is indifferent to the slavery system.
Nobles are free to keep slaves and treat them however they want, while the royal family doesn’t do anything for them. This is why her world was shattered when her husband, the Emperor, brought home a Concubine who was formerly a slave. The story doesn’t shy away from villainizing the girl throughout the end, while the Emperor actually got his redemption. While the story stays true to its themes, considering how the royalty will be blind to the suffering of the less privileged, many readers criticize the thoughtless portrayal of such themes. Everyone of the Empress’ allies, even someone whose family owned Rashta as a slave, was keen on ruining the girl’s life because she was scheming.
Stories like that try hard to be seen as dramatic, but the intention behind them is much more problematic than what fans might initially think. It’s pretty rare for romance fantasy webtoons to get an anime adaptation, which is why it’s unfortunate for The Remarried Empress to get one before others. Stories like that will always divide the industry, and an anime will only fuel the dissatisfaction readers have towards it. There are much better webtoons that should’ve gotten an adaptation, but The Remarried Empress is still more popular than them.
What do you think about The Remarried Empress getting an anime adaptation? Or do you have a series in mind that would’ve been a better choice? Let us know in the comments below.
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