A Bride's Story is the newest manga by Kaoru Mori (Emma, Shirley) to be released in English. The manga is published by Yen Press, in a collectible hardcover edition.
In the nineteenth century, on Central Asia's Silk Road, 20-year-old Amir finds herself married into a farming family, to 12-year-old Karluk. Aside from the obvious problem of the age difference, Amir must also learn to adapt to a new family and a different culture.
A Bride's Story Volume 1, Historical Manga by Kaoru Mori
The plot in A Bride's Story takes it's time as each long chapter puts its main focus on a single character or event. While the characters and art are absorbing enough (more on both soon) the first three chapters lack real action or tension. This changes when Amir's old family arrives to take her back, and while Amir is not there at the time her family by marriage is in an uproar - and because this problem isn't fully resolved, we can expect greater tension in the future.
Character development also comes slowly, as Mori sneaks us tidbits about personalities and relationships. Still, it doesn't take long to get attached to these people. In the first chapter Amir works hard to fit in with her new family, completing tasks ably and without simpering. Minor characters get moments to shine, as when Amir's new nephew Rostem continuously runs off to watch the wood carver, or when the Eihon family matriarch shows fire and loyalty as she shoots at and chases away Amir's old family. And Karluk's older sister is funny and relatable - she wishes to be a strict parent, but she sends others to sneak food to her punished son so that she may secretly dote on him.
Karluk shows the most deliberate development. Initially more of a background character to his older, bolder wife, we see him come out of his shell as he and Amir meet his uncle's tribe, and he determinedly reassures Amir "Not even once have I wished you were younger or anything!" He seems to at times think of Amir as more of a mother figure than a wife, but whether that has to do with the age difference or something else in Karluk's personality will be interesting to see.
The only character I see no point in is Smith. Unexplained in the story, I can only assume he is a European studying the culture, and I can't understand his use in the overall story, other than as an occasional joke. But Mori keeps his appearances minimal, so Smith's forgotten until he pops up again.
Silk Road Culture in Story and Art
Mori does a great job with the cultural references. I'm unfamiliar with the history of the Silk Road, but Mori parses out the information so that I feel neither lost, nor buried in an info dump. I'm not sure that she ever mentions exactly which country this manga takes place in, but unless you feel the need to place Amir and her family on a map, it's not bothersome.
Ever a fan of Mori's Victorian romance, Emma, I expected amazing art, but still managed to be stunned. Detailing is superb, with mesmerizing patterns and clothing designs. You get not only a sense of space, with wide shots of the plains and close looks at the homes, but also a deep sense of culture. It's blindingly apparent how much research Mori put into her manga, expecially in the scene with the wood carver meticulously creating the designs on a wooden pillar.
A Bride's Story Manga Published by Yen Press
The more expensive hardcover edition of A Bride's Story shows Yen Press's awareness that this is a manga for the older fan. Slow pacing, and a lack of overly romantic or action-packed scenes, will keep a younger fan base from really getting wrapped up in this story. But older, more patient readers will appreciate Mori's deliberateness, simply enjoying her fine art and fantastic characters.
- ISBN: 978-0-316-18099-3
- MSRP: $16.99 US / $18.50 CAN
- 192 pages
- Released May 30, 2011
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