As I mention on Votaries, many of Andersen's tales, including "The Snow Queen," present tropes and motifs that have gained their own iconic status, so much so that I discovered, delving into Andersen's bibliography, that Andersen produced more fairy tales than I assumed. Many have taken on a life of their own.
"The Snow Queen" shows up in the yaoi manga Allure by Yuri Ebihara. At first, the manga seems to follow the original tale. Dr. Hizuki, the supposed Snow Queen figure, lures away Kay or Kai to Norway.
Dr. Hizuki is cold and aloof since he is still suffering from the death of a lover a number of months earlier. When he carries out eye surgery on Kai, Kai falls for him. Eventually, Kai follows Hizuki to Norway. A sweet-natured, extroverted, confident young man, Kai is undemanding yet also unapologetic in his motives. He is there to keep Hizuki company!
His ex-fiancee, Miharu, supposedly the Gerda figure, shows up to fetch Kai home.
Here is where the manga turns the tale on its head. For Miharu may appear to be the Gerda figure but her reasoning is more like the Snow Queen's--in her mind, Kai must return to his designated role as her fiance. If he does, everyone will pretend he didn't behave so oddly, breaking his engagement and running off the way he did. He needs to abide by a seamless order. Even Hizuki is temporarily convinced by Miharu's argument. In a world where lovers don't die in car accidents, where love is impervious and methodical, the boy would marry the girl who nursed him and of whom his family approves. Isn't that the proper, perfect ending?
Hizuki takes the passage as a sign. He runs after Kai and brings him back. He is even willing to make a "spectacle" of himself to convince Kai he is serious.
In this way, Hizuki becomes the Gerda character--but also the Kay figure who needs to be warmed.
Likewise, Andersen's thematic resolution is turned on its head while also honored. In the original story, the shards of broken mirror corrupt human's sight. But in the manga, the shards--related to the surgical "cuts" by Dr. Hikuzi--challenge Kai's assumptions. They are not all that different from the irritating "monkey conscience" in Shadow of the Moon.
That is, when Kai regains his sight, due to Hizuki, he comes to realize how much Miharu and his family have controlled his appearance, his wardrobe and perhaps, even, his thoughts. He doesn't entirely recognize himself until he sees Dr. Hizuki.
The shards consequently could also be the (entirely unintentional) "corruption" of Kai's true self by family and friends when he was blind--in which case, once again, Miharu becomes the Snow Queen, trying to lure Kai back to a time when his sight was damaged, through social pressure and then through freezing contempt.
Allure is a emotionally resilient rendering of "The Snow Queen" and also a retelling or re-imagining. Heroines become villains. Heroes take on double roles.
A product of his time, Andersen may have been alarmed by a couple that echoed his own feelings--or he may have appreciated the sentiment. In any case, "The Snow Queen" clearly crosses borders!
