I have finally done it. I have branched out and tried my hand at reading manga. I am happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised. I liked it so much I think I am going to check out the next couple of volumes. The writing style has nothing particularly memorable, but that is not a bad thing. The only complaint I have with that is a stylistic choice to use a lot of periods to represent moments of silence- I would rather have just had no text bubbles. The art, however, is really high quality, and I really like it. To get to the contents of the story, the book focuses around a girl in the Caucasus who has been married off into another tribe and is adapting to her new found life. It starts just after they have been married, so that it does not go into detail of how they met or how they ended up becoming engaged. So far, to be honest, the story is not terribly impressive- however, I do think it has enough potential to really build up to something in the next volumes. I really like the setting of the novel. It is quite unique, and it is portrayed in a very enjoyable way. I am looking forward to the second book in the series. Brilliant! Kaoru Mori's masterful Bride's Story is a magnum opus of a manga. Her richly textured Central Asian clothing parallel a story rich with fascinating characters. The protagonist Amir is so kind-hearted and true it almost doesn't feel real (she could easily pass for Belldandy), but her compassion and fear and love are always brimming to the surface as well. Karluk, her prepubescent husband is the picture of responsibility and the reader feels his wonder right along side him at his wife's astounding hunting and sewing skills. The slow plot points and realistic sense of distance and time in volume one are reminiscent of many good Asian stories. Additionally, it's lighthearted and fun tales mixed with emotional upheaval would fit well into women's lit. Bride's Story will make you feel young at heart and wish you could meet Mori's characters in real life.
What do You think about A Bride's Story 01 (2011)?
Beautiful story with great drawing skill!One of the best manga I have read so far!
—majo
