Otoyomegatari, or Bride's Story, isn't your conventional piece of narrative writing in the sense that it doesn't have the story structure that a normal story would have. Instead, it focuses on the daily lives of the people of Central Asia--a slice of life, if you will. However, this community especially has seen countless slice of life mangas, so such a concept seems far from unique. So what makes Bride's Story stand out?
I feel like the word closest to what this manga is would be a "documentary." Now, I don't mean this in a bad sense at all. It's just I got some major VICE documentary vibes from this manga, and I love it. Otoyomegatari explores the many cultural elements of the different parts of Central Asia--all through just the showing of the people's lives. I find Central Asian culture fascinating; it's almost never talked about in any piece of media, and discovering its people and culture was such a refreshing experience. Through the chronicling of the several families and settlements of the region, Kaoru Mori builds a liveliness that few other mangakas can. Like a documentary, it truly captures the lives of the people previously completely unknown to me.
The art also adds to the liveliness and the documentary-esque feel to Bride's Story. Kaoru Mori blends the realistic appearances and texture of the clothing and background with the manga-styled characters, and it creates a distinct art style that fits perfectly with the historical setting.
The narrative elements that do exist here are sufficient, to put it simply. Nothing too complex or interesting happens with the plot, but what does happen is often fun to read and occasionally pretty cute. However, on the grand scheme of things, not much really happens.
Even with all this praise, why did I rate Otoyomegatari only a 7/10? Though what it accomplishes is superb, to me, this manga feels only like a well-made documentary with some narrative elements, and not much else. If you are looking to connect with a piece of media emotionally, this is not the manga you want to read. To be honest, the only emotions this manga elicited from me are the "huh, that's pretty interesting" or the occasional "that's kinda cute." It holds no special or emotional place in me; my enjoyment was pretty surface level. However, overall Otoyomegatari is a great educational experience with some occasional cute romantic moments, and for history/anthropology enthusiasts this is a must-read.
