Otoyomegatari

Alternative Titles

English: A Bride's Story

Synonyms: Young Bride's Story, Otoyome-gatari, The Bride's Stories, Pariya-san wa Otoshigoro

Japanese: 乙嫁語り

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: Unknown

Chapters: Unknown

Status: Publishing

Published: Oct 14, 2008 to ?

Genres: Drama, Historical, Romance, Seinen

Authors: Mori, Kaoru (Story & Art)

Serialization: Harta

Statistics

Score: 8.55¹ (scored by 11,845 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #96²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #196

Members: 45,780

Favorites: 2,048

8.55

Ranked #96Popularity #196Members 45,780

MangaHartaMori, Kaoru (Story & Art)

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Available on Manga Store
A Bride's Story
Volume 1
$9.99

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Synopsis

It's the 19th century in a tribal town near the Caspian Sea, Central Asia. People lead simple lives along the Silk Road, believing in various customs and traditions as they have for many years. Amir Halgal is a beautiful 20-year-old woman skilled in archery, hunting, and horseback riding. She has come from a faraway village for an arranged marriage to a charming 12-year-old boy by the name of Karluk Eihon.

Due to the large age difference, the relationship between Amir and Karluk is a little awkward initially. However, everyday interactions between the two allow them to develop feelings of love and respect for each other that eventually strengthen their bond. Otoyomegatari follows the daily lives and challenges of Amir and Karluk alongside various other couples across Central Asia, in a beautiful portrayal of the culture and traditions of the brides of the era.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Otoyomegatari won the 7th Manga Taishou Award in 2014 and the intergénérations prize at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2012.

The series has been published in English as A Bride's Story by Yen Press since May 31, 2011; in Polish as Opowieść panny młodej by Studio JG since June 20, 2013; and in Spanish as Brides Stories by Norma Editorial since October 31, 2013.

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More characters
Characters

Halgal, Amir

Main

Eihon, Karluk

Main

Togonosh, Pariya

Supporting

Halgal, Azel

Supporting

Smith, Henry

Supporting

Talas

Supporting

Halgal, Joruk

Supporting

Anis

Supporting

Eihon, Balkirsh

Supporting

Eihon, Tileke

Supporting

More reviewsReviews

Nov 21, 2010

14 of ? chapters read

Overall Rating: 9

srKuran (All reviews)

152 people found this review helpful

The synopsis might be a bit misleading, so ill start telling you that the story is not really only about a relationship between a 20 years old woman with a 12 year old boy, in my opinion, this manga has multiple stories about brides that connect with each other.

I cant really judge the art, but for sure it has rich details and all look so beautiful, not in a common way, its more like.. noble ish, cant really describe it, beyond outstanding, for me thats 10/10.

The characters are other very strong point, they live in the central asia, and are adept of many customs and read more

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Apr 6, 2013

28 of ? chapters read

Overall Rating: 10

-Hotaru_ (All reviews)

70 people found this review helpful

There is magic all around us, you may find it in an isolated nomadic town, in a traditional ceremony, in the patterns of an embroidery or in the dancing of the natives.
This manga is all about simplicity conveyed in a subtle, mesmerizing way. It tells the stories of everyday people in Central Asia in the 19th century, focusing primarly on an unusual newlyweds couple and their families. The manga begins with a 20 year old girl that marries a younger groom through an arranged engagement. At first their interaction is a little awkward since there is an 8 year difference in age, but quite soon, Amira and Karluk become fond of each other, forming a strong bond. Amira is soon accepted in Karluk's warm-hearted family. The plot of Otoyomegatari is episodic, showing different aspects from different angles of the towns folk way of living.

There are also a few larger story lines, such as the arrival of Amira's nomadic family that want her to marry another for political reasons, as well as Henry Smith's (the foreign guest of Karluk's family) departure and journey back home, and his encounter with a mysterious, beautiful woman (which in my opinion is the most compelling and heart-breaking story until now).

The degree of knowledge and historical accuracy is as impressive as ever, coming from the mangaka of Emma, Kaoru Mori-sensei. Her portrayal of the culture, the tradition and cuisine is remarkable. The dedication she puts in every detail, such as a complex turkic embroidery, that is passed from generation to generation, in order to accumulate more knowledge of the patterns and make it in your own style. As well as the depiction of a carving master at work, producing real wonders from wood, passing down his wisdom to an interested kid. All those little gems do not drag the story, but enhances its beauty.
Story: 9

Simple things such as a woman singing in a field, the threads of a woman's hair caught by mistake, a gentle hand removing the tangled hair, the making of an embroidery, covering someone up with a blanket or the carving of wood, they are all gestures of kindness and affection towards nature, towards art or the person you love. They are gracefully portrayed by the skillful hands of the mangaka. They all seem like verses from a poem taking lives of their own in sensei's drawings.
Art: 9

In my opinion, the character of Amira is one of the most vibrant, charismatic female characters in recent years. Her mesmerizing, strong-willed personality left a powerful impression on me. Amira may seem the perfect wife, she is talented at embroidery and cooking, she is also caring and loving, but at times out of concern for Karluk she worries too much. Uncommon for women in that period of time, she is independent and self-sufficient, showing talent for hunting, as well as understanding the equilibrium in nature, feeling at home among the wildlife, and connecting with it on a deeper level.

Karluk's character is very mature for his age, showing an adult's wisdom and determination, as well as courage when Amira is taken back by her family. There is also the intriguing character of Henry Smith, who is a traveler and researcher of distant cultures. He is often the comic relief in this manga, but at times he shows another side of himself, a more serious, melancholic side, which makes him more mysterious. His story after his departure showed that he is a profound person. There are also charming supporting characters, such as Pariya, who has a tsundere personlity, which is also the cause of her not finding suitors, since in that period they were very important for becoming a respectable woman in the society. Her reactions are also a comic relief, especially her outspokenness and her embarrassment that follows soon after, which are lovely.
Characters: 10

I highly enjoyed this manga, and after reading it for almost 2 years I still can't get enough. It is my type of manga, so I recommend to those who like slice of life and historical mangas, for the action-loving readers it may not be for you, but the quality of the writing may just fascinate you enough not to let the manga out of your hand.
Enjoyment: 10

Overall: 10

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Jun 23, 2010

12 of ? chapters read

Overall Rating: 9

Rampant (All reviews)

45 people found this review helpful

When it comes to either anime or manga art, the fact is that most of it simply is not really very good. Unwillingness to challenge industry standards, either the need to rush works out or just plain laziness, and sometimes a lack of talent. There are also always going to be exceptions to this rule, both of the absurdly detailed kind, such as Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind (manga version), or sometimes a simpler yet extremely well crafted attempt at cuddly charm, such as Dragonball. This manga is indisputably in the spirit of the former, erring at all times toward ridiculous levels of detail.

With its focus on intricately ornamental clothing, shades of say Paradise Kiss, you can tell right away that this work will have some obsession with detail, but with Otoyomegatari it permeates every part of the work, not just some singular aspects. The patterns and shading displayed on ch. 2, p. 6-7 show early on how seriously the creator enjoys creating patterns everywhere she can, architecture, food, et cetera.

The settings are often very intricate, in everything from architectural ornamentation, foliage, or the houses of a city. They are not clearly drawn in every frame, especially if they were already just clearly drawn, but it is not skimped on enough to really bother. Often inside the houses the angle is very rectangular and maybe a little boring, but it is always set to show off new details, so it is not really boring.

The character art is fairly typical in basic style (triangular faces, super huge glassy eyes), but the details in the hair and clothing are phenomenal. Even throwaway, ordinary characters can look splendid due to how crisp and clean the shading is, with the contrast making the characters stand out from settings so well.

As to the story, I may as well come out right away and say I despise slice of life, I really do. I would say that this gets a good deal into that, and it still manages to be charming and convincing. It is not really my thing, which is why I rated the story and character aspects down to an 8, but like Victorian Romance Emma, everything is gentle, unassuming, and never especially trying to thrust in one's face how charming it is. It simply is charming and that is enough. Most of the romance and banter are interesting and fun to entertain. The action parts are not exactly a strong suit for this work, but I think that they are perfectly acceptable as a vehicle to move plot along.

All in all, this is a work with incredible art, a little bit of whimsy, and a pretty clear sense of what it is trying to accomplish by existing. It is kind of hard for me to communicate what I see in the art, but if I have any point I feel I can slam clearly home, it is that the detail is incredible, clear, and at the very least looking at for a bit.

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Dec 21, 2015

50 of ? chapters read

Overall Rating: 9

Nervin (All reviews)

30 people found this review helpful

There are a lot of mangas that focus on romance, being the path to a relationship the most common; yet these never really expand on developing it, let alone arrive to the point engaging in a marriage. In the case of Otoyomegatari, or in its english title "A bride's story", it presents readers with couples that either are or will be engaged, whilst developing their relationships and the hardships of these. This historical manga is a magnificent slice of life bundled with dramatic and romantic elements, as well as lightly expanding on its setting; even though readers may not care about its premise, the art read more

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