Bride of Ignat, Volume 1

イグナートの花嫁 [Ignat no Hanayome] #1

by Moyori Mori

This beautifully illustrated, award-winning fantasy BL tells the story of Rita, a young man chosen by his village to become the "Dragon's Bride", and Ignat, the mythical dragon to whom Rita is sacrificed. Only the warmth of Rita's loving determination is enough to thaw Ignat's long-frozen heart in this sweeping mystical romance by rising star of the BL world, Moyori Mori.  A 2025 Chill Chill Award winner!

"If life is meaningless no matter where you are..." Rita, a lonely boy, is chosen as the "Dragon's Bride" by the village custom. The ancient legend of the "Snowy Mountain Dragon" is now nothing more than a legend, but Rita, unable to find his role in the village, accepts the sacrifice while realizing that it is to reduce the number of mouths to feed. Rita, who was left alone and freezing in the snowstorm, is saved by Ignat, a beautiful dragon in human form. Rita's eyes sparkle because the dragon really exists, and he is able to fulfill his role as a "bride", but Ignat rejects him, saying "I don't need a bride". Still, Rita cannot give up, and he learns the secret of the ritual to turn humans into "dragons". A silent dragon x a fearless sacrifice. A fantasy BL story of a non-human marriage that will heal your frozen heart!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Romance, Boys Love, Yaoi, Queer, LGBT

Kindle Edition

First published December 6, 2024

Reviews

[Fallon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ✨
I love Moyori sensei's work so much I need the second volume !!!

[Nea Poulain · Rating 4 out of 5]

que precioso es, gracias magia del scanlation por permitirme leerlo, por favor licencienlo en alguna parte.

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolute gem. Moyori Mori is slowly but surely becoming my favourite mangaka. Her stories are bittersweet yet full of hope. Her characters carry so much baggage and an intense loneliness that the other person heals little by little.
Even though this one is more fantastical than 'Touching Your Night', everything still feels plausible and their relationship is just beautiful.
The artwork is an absolute masterpiece. I’ve never seen such delicate, fine lines and such pure expressions. It’s flawless.

[Paula]

Der Zeichenstil ist wirklich wunderschön, aber der Protagonist sieht leider aus wie ein kleines Kind 😭

[circexin · Rating 4 out of 5]

gorgeous art, as always. i hope there’s more to the story!

[Fany Herondale · Rating 5 out of 5]

que cosa tan preciosa acabo de leer

[Anna (Ink of Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's beautiful but I don't know the point of it yet, despite *being* beautiful

[Ester · Rating 5 out of 5]

«Ya no necesito ninguna novia».

Cuenta la leyenda que hace mucho, mucho tiempo, los dragones de las montañas convivían en armonía con los humanos de la aldea bajo la montaña. Cuando los humanos desearon más poder, comenzaron a matar dragones y esto provocó que los dragones, enfurecidos, arrasaran la aldea con las llamas de su aterrador fuego. Para calmar la ira de los poderosos seres alados, los humanos decidieron entregarles una novia humana, una ofrenda -o sacrificio- de paz. Y así ha sido desde entonces: cada veinte años, una "novia" es enviada a las montañas de los dragones.

Rita es un joven huérfano y el nuevo elegido como "la novia" del dragón. Yendo por las montañas con la cabeza alta en plena ventisca, el temporal hace que el joven se desmaye antes de poder llegar a su destino. Cuando abre los ojos, el joven se encuentra en una cueva, herido en la pierna, y acompañado de un ser que parece humano, pero que no lo es. El ser no es otro que el dragón que vive en las montañas, Ignat, al cual Rita se le debe entregar como su novia. Pero cuando Ignat le dice alto y claro que no necesita ninguna "novia", y que puede quedarse solo hasta que se le cure la pierna, el castillo de naipes que Rita había construido en su cabeza se desmorona. Sabiendo que no puede volver a la aldea (porque se cree que, si una novia "huye", el dragón irá a por ella) y que no tiene a dónde ir, Rita se siente más perdido que nunca.

«Si la hierbo y me la bebo... Si soporto los cambios de la dragonificación, ¿podré convertirme en dragón?».

Cuidando de él mientras está convaleciente, Ignat deja que Rita viva en su cueva, lo vigila y protege de los animales salvajes de las montañas mientras sana su pierna poco a poco con reposo y las hierbas medicinales que Rita prepara. Pero por mucho que le diga el dragón que debe irse, el joven humano está más que empecinado en cumplir con su papel de "novia" y a no irse de allí. Por ello, cuando Ignat le da sus razones para desechar a todas las novias que le han enviado desde la aldea a lo largo de los años -incluido él- y le habla sobre la dragonificación, Rita decide llevarla a cabo con tal de quedarse allí, sin importar el riesgo que eso supone. Y es que, sin ningún lugar al que volver, Rita solamente quiere serle útil a alguien y tener aquello que llamamos hogar.
Narrándonos con sensibilidad un romance slow burn, Moyori Mori nos presenta La novia del dragón, una cozy fantasy, una historia de amor puro y desinteresado en la que dos seres solitarios encuentran su lugar en el mundo en compañía de otro a la vez que hallan reconocimiento y aceptación mutua total.

Podéis leer la reseña completa en mi blog:

https://unabibliotecaentremundos.blog...

[Flapjack · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 gwiazdek za historię, ale nadal nie wiem ile on ma lat ;-;

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5🌟

Moyori Mori got me again! She got me good! 😭

First of all, it must be said again and again, her artwork is GORGEOUS. Everything looks so beautiful and magical. There’s always so much clear emotion conveyed through her artwork. It’s legitimately one of my favorite things about her work. Because an artist could make something pretty to look at but that feels cold and detached, but this mangaka always packs so much depth of feeling through her work. I LOVE IT!

Second of all, how did this volume end and these two didn’t even share a besito?! My heart! How am I supposed to cope until (god knows when) the next volume will be released? Am I just destined to suffer and weep? Rita and Ignat are too sweet to torture me like this! I just need both of them to be happy and together. They don’t need to be lonely anymore. They have each other. All the little scenes of them hugging and cuddling made me want to weep 💖🥺💖

I guess I’ll sit in my corner and cry as I wait for the next volume…maybe I’ll reread Touch Within the Abyss for the fifth time to console myself 😩

[˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥aimmar · Rating 5 out of 5]

ภาพสวยตาแตกเหมือนเดิมม คอนเซปรอบนี้จะมีกลิ่นอายแนวๆเอเชียกลางนิดๆ+ความแฟนตาซีมังกรเอยไรเอย คือมันโครตจะดือ งานภาพเต็ม10 นักวาดระดับชั้นครูจนอยากกราบ
เนื้อเรื่องก็ถือว่าใช้ได้เลยนะ แต่ส่วนตัวอ่านแล้วรู้สึกปมไม่หนักมากแต่เน้นไปที่จะเดินหน้าไปไงไม่ก็การพัฒนาความสัมพันธ์ของอิกนาตกับลิต้าซะมากกว่า(มั้งนะ) ซึ่งตรงนี้เราชอบนะอิ่มฟูใจดี

ความก้อน ความนุ่มนิ่มของลิต้าดาเมจติดคริมาก+เจาะเกราะ น้องน่ารัก55555

[Janina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich musste mich erst ein bisschen einfühlen, aber am Ende angekommen, fand ich es gut. Ich mochte vor allem Yana, das Rentier, und den Zeichenstil. Ich bin noch nicht sicher, ob ich weiterlesen werde.

tw/cw: Opfergabe, Angst vor Fremden, Krankheit/Symptome, Diskriminierung

[Cecilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the art for this and I thought the story was really cute and the process of dragonization was interesting. j hope they continue this series I thought it was completed but online says the series has been updated since 2023

[Aleja Uribe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Necesito el otro tomo para yaaaaa!!!!

[Sabine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sehr süße Geschichte und wunderbare Zeichnungen! Freue mich auf den nächsten Band.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lindísima historia, lindísima la relación entre los protagonistas y líndisimo el dibujo. Deseando que se publique el tomo 2 para ver como se sigue desarrollando el romance entre los dos protas.

[Imanewreader ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

let's gooooooooo ! it's amazing as expected of moyori mori. i'm so excited for vil.2

[Theresa]

Listen: I wouldn't need to be a dragon to do it.

[Maude · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to reading this ! Moyori Mori's artwork is gorgeous as always and I love a mix of fantasy in my romance stories. These characters relationship is so sweet and I can't wait to see how it continues to progress.

[Anonymous Soul ( FREE PALESTINE ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌑 5 stars ⭐ 🌑

It was oddly beautiful and breathtaking.
Calm and refreshing, for a change.

🕸️ Looking forward to Volume 2~ 🕸️

[Emi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dibujo precioso e historia bonita de dos seres que se sienten muy solos.

[luciabookishlyf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is sooo freaking beautiful and the panelling and pacing reminds me of WHA. This is excellence!!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Original Review*
Such a beautiful art style. I enjoyed the story and I'm really looking forward to the sequel.

*Reread 5/7/2026*
Ugh so obsessed with Moyori Mori's art style. I think I like this mostly for the vibes, because nothing extremely special happens, but I really love the atmosphere and it's building up to be a sweet relationship.

[Jhamankys · Rating 5 out of 5]

DIOS MIOOOO, DAME LA MALDITA CONTINUACION! MALDITA SEA, DIOOOOOOOOOS

[Kristina Butke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a digital copy of this manga via Media Lab Public Relations on behalf of TOKYPOP.

I am familiar with this manga because I’ve been purchasing the Japanese copies (chapter by chapter) through Amazon Japan for my Kindle. Of course, I can’t read Japanese, but I absolutely loved the art. So I’m delighted that TOKYOPOP has translated the first volume and I can finally understand the manga fully.

This manga is beautiful. The art by Moyori Mori is unique to the manga-ka, so you can always tell which manga is theirs by the style. I love the character designs of Rita, who looks innocent and kind, and then Ignat–I find myself gravitating towards stories of human brides “sacrificed” to monsters, but Ignat is no monster. But I love how his dragon features are incorporated into his human side, and he is also beautiful.

Let me get onto the story! Rita is chosen to be the sacrifice to the dragon, and has no other purpose. When he meets the dragon Ignat, who is kind and protective of him (he rescues Rita when he is fading away in the freezing snow), and Ignat tells him he has no need of a bride and that Rita can leave, Rita struggles to find a purpose for himself.

As Ignat and Rita live together (Rita’s leg has been broken and Ignat has worked to fix him up), Rita grows more interested in Ignat. Ignat is the last of the dragons, which shocks Rita, and Ignat tells him of a ritual to turn a human into a dragon–one his human mother performed and is the only known survivor of it. A person must consume a piece of a dragon’s body, and the transformation process will begin. But a dragon’s energy and essence is usually too strong for a human to endure, so they tend to die.

Rita and Ignat grow closer, with Ignat regularly protecting Rita and saving him from trouble. He gives Rita some of his dragon scales to ward off wolves and wild animals, as the scent of the dragon frightens them. Rita decides on his own to consume one of the scales to begin the “dragonification” process, determined to not leave Ignat alone and to become his bride. The role of Ignat’s bride is all Rita can see of himself, and he is drawn to Ignat, so he doesn’t mind the risk to his life if he can live it with Ignat in peace. Rita gets very ill, but survives consuming the scale.

There are some moments that suggest Ignat is growing feelings for Rita just as Rita is growing feelings for him. They go to a town further in the mountains and Ignat shows some jealousy and overprotectiveness when Rita runs into a childhood friend (and someone he used to love). When Rita gets into more trouble searching for his missing reindeer, he falls into a cave hidden by the snow. Ignat wonders if Rita has truly left him, but he desperately searches for him anyway, and when they reunite, it’s so sweet.

This story feels delicate to me as we witness Rita and Ignat relying more on each other, trusting each other, growing in feelings towards each other. The acceleration of feelings doesn’t feel fast, but careful, even when Rita comes to the decision to forever be Ignat’s bride. I have a feeling their love will be a slow burn over the series, but grow in passion as it continues on.

This is a gorgeous story with gorgeous art, and once again, I’m so glad to have an English translation of it. I knew from the Japanese version that I would love this book, and reading it in my native language confirms it. Such a beautiful story.

[Lumi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worum es geht:

Der junge Rita findet nach dem Tod seiner Familie keinen Platz mehr für sich in dem Dorf, in dem er aufgewachsen ist. Um niemandem mehr zur Last zu fallen, entscheidet er sich, freiwillig die Rolle der "Braut des Drachen" zu übernehmen. Dafür wird einer alten Legende nach alle zwanzig Jahre ein Mensch dem Drachen des Frostgebirges geopfert, damit dieser das Dorf nicht angreift. Doch Ritas Plan droht bereits zu scheitern, bevor er überhaupt richtig begonnen hat. Er gerät in einen Schneesturm und wird von einem fremden gerettet, der sich als ebenjener Drache namens Ignat entpuppt - und Rita prompt wieder wegschicken will.

Meine Meinung:

Obwohl sich mir wohl nie erschließen wird, warum im Boys Love Genre gerade im Fantasy-Bereich immer irgendjemand die Rolle einer Braut übernehmen muss, konnte ich an "Bride of Ignat" von Moyori Mori doch nicht vorbeigehen. Zu schön war schon alleine die Cover-Illustration mit all ihren Details und den natürlichen Farben. Und zu meinem Glück hat sich dieser Zeichenstil dann auch durchgängig durch den Band gezogen - besonders in den Details der Kleidung hätte ich mich wirklich für Stunden verlieren können!

Bei der Story und den Charakteren hat der Manga für mich dafür aber noch Entwicklungspotenzial. Rita ist mit seiner sanften Art zwar ein sympathischer Protagonist, doch wirkt er noch ein wenig zu sehr wie die hilflose Jungfrau in Nöten, die ständig von ihrem Märchenprinzen (oder in diesem Fall eben Drachen) beschützt und gerettet werden muss. Ich wünsche mir sehr, dass es hier in Zukunft noch eine deutliche Charakterentwicklung geben wird, die Ignat auch einen guten Grund gibt, sich dem Jungen gegenüber weiter zu öffnen und sich auf ihn zu verlassen. Gerne würde ich es nämlich erleben, wie es Rita gelingt, Ignat aus seiner Einsamkeit und Isolation zu holen.

Trotz dieser kleinen Kritik werde ich die Story erst einmal gerne weiterverfolgen, schon alleine um mehr über Ignats Geschichte zu erfahren und zu sehen, wie sich Rita an seiner Seite entwickelt, und natürlich, um die wunderschönen Zeichnungen zu genießen. Leider sieht es aber so aus, als müsste man sich mit der Fortsetzung noch ein ganzes Weilchen gedulden.

[thebloggerandthegeek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rita is such a lovely character, breaks my heart how the village sees him as a burden and uses him to be a sacrifice. Still, he goes to the dragon because he doesn’t want to disappoint them, which, argh, made me so sad. And then when he meets the dragon and is told he’s not needed, and he feels almost disposable … my heart! Always looking for a place to belong. His memories as a child being seen as cursed were heartbreaking. But his gentle heart prevailed over all the things that happened when he was little. He never had bad feelings and kept his true, gentle self even after being treated like trash.

Ignat is also so dang gentle and lonely. He’s been alone for a long time and has tried to save other ‘brides’ sometimes without success. The memories of him as a child receiving his first ‘wife’, seeing them die, and trying to help them were so heartbreaking. Also, because he has lived such a long time due to being a dragon, he only has one memory of his mother kissing his forehead. So sad! Then Rita appears. He was such a sweetheart, taking care of Rita and listening to him, asking Rita what he wanted to do all the time. He’s so gentle with Rita, so unsure of how to interact with him.

The art in this volume is stunning! The face expressions are so well done that you can truly see the changes in emotions and feelings through time.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Der Manga ist so unglaublich süß und schön und irgendwie auch tiefgreifend. Und es ist einfach auch mal wieder eine schöne Abwechslung von den ganzen BLs, wo nach mindestens 1-2 Kapiteln gevögelt wird. Das kommt hier nämlich gar nicht vor.

Ich liebe es dass Rita, der als Drachenbraut geopfert werden soll, dies aus seinen eigenen Gründen völlig freiwillig macht - und man erfährt im Verlaufe des Mangas auch wieso. Und ich kann diese Gründe nachvollziehen. Es zeigt einiges an SElbstfindung für Rita, und das man herausfinden soll, was man wirklich nur für sich machen möchte, ganz ohne irgendwelche Begründungen.

Dazu kommt auch, dass Rita trotz der ganzen Vergangenheit niemals aufgibt und alles wissen will, vorallem von Ignat und seinem Drachensein.

Es gibt auch kein überbordendes Drama - es gibt welches, ein bisschen - aber es passt super gut in die Geschichte.

Dazu kommt, dass ich den zeichenstil unfassbar schön finde.

Für mich auch kein Problem: Rita ist im Vergleich zu Ignat SEHR klein, vom Körperbau, und sieht entsprechend sehr jung aus - ist er sowieso, da Ignat vermutlich mehr als 100 Jahre ist. Aber ja :D der Größenunterschied könnte für manche icky wirken *shrug* ich fands eher nice.

Also ja, empfehle ich für alle, die gerne mal keinen Porn lesen, sondern auf Charakterentwicklung und -tiefe Lust haben: dazu auch noch das Drachenthema. Mega schön.

[Romy Ramé · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hay personas que me han metido mucho hype respecto a esta historia. Sobre todo, por el arte tan bonito que se gasta la mangaka, que es una auténtica preciosidad.

El manga nos trae la historia de Rita que ha sido elegida para ser la próxima novia para el dragón a cambio de conseguir paz para la aldea durante los próximos veinte años. Lleva toda la vida preparándose. Es más, piensa que ha nacido para ello.

Su sorpresa será enorme cuando al conocer a Ignat lo primero que recibe es un rechazo y una explicación: todo es una parafernalia construida por el miedo de los habitantes del pueblo ya que, realmente, no se necesita su sacrificio. Sin embargo, aquello que le daba valor ahora ya no existe. ¿Qué va a hacer con su vida?

Una historia de convivencia entre un humano y un dragón conociéndose poco a poco el uno al otro, explorando sus pasados, pero, sobre todo, el de Rita.

Leer este slow born me ha chiflado. Solo consigue que tenga aún más ganas de leer el siguiente tomo. Me ha parecido un relato tierno con sus momentos duros, pero que a la vez costumbrista y me encantan estos personajes.

Además, la meta que tiene Rita en mente (que no quiero mencionar porque es un spoiler tremendo) me tiene muy intrigada y quiero saber hasta dónde puede llegar y si realmente lo va a conseguir.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't tell if this series is finished or not. It ended on a cliffhanger but everywhere I look says it's done. I wish it had a physical copy, it was a digital only release. I liked the story despite its flaws.

It was a hurt/comfort kind of story with both Rita and Ignat being there for each other in ways others couldn't. Rita gets chosen as a sacrifice since his illness makes him too weak to be of use in the village. They don't value his crafts or sewing that he did instead since he had strange patterns on his skin from a plague. The village had been sending brides to Ignat for years but Ignat never wanted them. It was set up by the dragons before him. Even if he let the brides go, they'd be killed by the village so he reluctantly let them stay. They all died and he became incredibly jaded about the pointlessness of being immortal. Which honestly, if you're immortal and not traveling, it would be an underwhelming existence. Not sure why he just stayed in one spot his whole life. He didn't want Rita to die by trying to complete what he was sent for, but he enjoyed his company and they got closer. It's a cute and sad story. The pacing is kinda quick since it's a short story.

Now that I'm older, I don't really care for the trope of when two men are paired together in a manga, one has to look like a little girl and one has to be a 6ft tall beast/manly man. Dont get me wrong, their designs are nice and match their personality. It's just questionable. It puts this sense of that even in a gay relationship, someone is a woman. I've been reading manga long enough I can ignore it but it is a can of worms of why it's like that.