Otoyomegatari
A Bride's Story

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Slow-paced, methodical writing. It might require a little bit of patience when you first start off, but it is by no mean boring.

The story is very endearing. The author took her time to portray a colorful picture of various personalities. They felt alive and real, and you can understand them; what makes them happy, their personal struggles, their thoughts and dreams, all revealed in a natural way of story-telling. Kaoru Mori sure has lots of attention to details and aspiration for the culture. You'll see it clearly in the unique way she depicts daily activities, professions, religious beliefs, food, architecture,...

Talking about the art, it is ... outright gorgeous and consistently so.

Overall, there is a subtle beauty to this work that made me think it deserves a 10. I think you can rarely find gems like this.

Otoyomegatari is a beautifully drawn "Historical Iyashikei manga" focused around a Central Asian theme of Kazakhstan/Uzbekistan/modern-day Iran back in the 1800s. The synopsis is a bit misleading as while Amir/Karluk are the main characters, the majority of the series so far focuses around the adventurers of English explorer Henry Smith. It's a cultural manga depicting the everyday lives and tribulations of the people of the region with an emphasis on the social norms of marriage and the encroaching Russian empire of the time period.

Being an Iyashikei with an element of realism, the series does an excellent job blending the realities of life and its ... hardships at that time with a positive healing elements of community and people coming together. The social and cultural elements are historically accurate to the regions and explain the significance of a culture far separated from both Japanese and European sensibilities both through its beautifully drawn aesthetic, third person explanations of events, and the tones and words of the people of the region. For those with strict sensibilities this can seem jarring as the characters rarely jump out of character to "act Japanese" or "act European" and our "secret" protagonist Henry Smith becomes enamored and enraged with the way things are at various points, but this adds to the charm. Otoyomegatari tries to show a lens into the past that is less brutal than reality at times, but that still accurately mirrors those realities through the lens of comfy nomadic living and familial elements. I highly recommend it for anyone who has a curiosity for other cultures who can maintain an open mind about those cultures.

To put it simply this is as good as Manga get. It is virtually impossible to find better art and a more detailed history. The level in this one is truly top notch.

This Manga's history simply revolves around relationships between different people amidst a turbulent era in Central Asia history. Much of it seen trough the lenses of a character traveling trough this territory.

Nevertheless don't let yourself fooled by this very simple and generic premise. This manga also is a monumental feat of historical, ethnographic and anthropological research. Add to that the sheer insanity of the details on the art and we get what ... i consider a masterpiece.

Reading trough chapters is very much like discovering Central Asia's culture while enjoying the best work a Mangaka can present to the world.

This is the sort of Manga you show people that love to hate on it. After a couple of chapters you can be assured that their entire perspective would have changed forever.