Kaoru Mori (森 薫) is a Japanese manga author. Her stories tend to be intricately drawn female lead historical dramas set in exotic locations like Britain and along the silk road. Her series include Emma (2002-2008), Shirley (2003-present) and the best known A Bride's Tale (2008-present).
A Bride’s Story is really the slice of life stories of several brides and would-be brides, historical manga set in the 19th century, along the Silk Road, where brides like the ones who are focused on here are typically married by 12-13. This volume completes an arc focused on Anise and her “avowed” friend Sherine, and focuses mostly on a story of Pariya, who prepares a dowry of intricate embroidery for her hoped-for shepherd, Amir. At one point some of the work is destroyed, which may necessitate her starting all over.
The attractions to this series include the amazing intricate historically researched period artwork and the focus on how girls and women forge a life for themselves within a patriarchal society. Pariya struggles with what she has been asked to do, she’s not a natural seamstress. She’s rebellious, and not even sure what she wants, but she realizes she sort of has to fit in societal expectations as she finds herself. And well, Amir is sort of cute and charming, so that helps.
¡Extrañaba esta historia! Que lástima que la autora tenga un ritmo de publicación tan lento...
Lo negro de la noche se ve más oscuro justo antes del amanecer. Pero la pregunta sigue siendo, ¿puede el sol brillar de nuevo?
Este tomo se centra en la historia de Pariya una joven de la aldea que sufrió la destrucción de su hogar durante el ataque del clan Hagal. Mientras intentan recuperar lo perdido, Pariya se esfuerza por preparar su boda con el joven Umal. De esta manera puede verse las costumbres sobre la preparación de la dote, cómo se concierta un matrimonio y la relación de los novios antes de este. Hay un par de capítulos centrados en Karluk y Amira, además ella tiene cierto protagonismo en la historia de Pariya, quién la ve como una esposa perfecta e intenta imitarla. Lamentablemente, mi pareja favorita termina mal este tomo, dejándome con intriga y el corazón dolido.
También hay un capítulo centrado en Azel y sus primos, asumiendo el liderazgo del clan Hagal. Y, en pequeñas viñetas (4-koma) nos cuentan qué están haciendo cada uno de los protagonistas de las historias anteriores (salvo Henry).
De más esta decir que el dibujo sigue siendo impecable y está historia repunto con respecto a la anterior. Me agrada mucho la autora y voy a buscar sus otros mangas mientras espero ansiosa el próximo tomo.
I continue to love this historical manga set along the Silk Road during the 19th century, and picked up the next three in the series as part of the #AsianReadathon.
In this installment Anis and Sherine settle into a new and happy life. Unfortunately the tribal conflict has taken it's toll elsewhere, and Pariya's family home is in ruins. That's bad enough, but to make matters worse, all the fabrics intended for her dowry has been destroyed, which has delayed her marriage talks. Knowing Pariya's character, you know that she is going to be vocally unhappy. The art continues to be fantastic, and I learn some traditional cultural stuff along the way. I continue to love this feminist tale, and have been rooting for Pariya since we first met. I started the next volume as soon as I finished this one.
Quel bonheur de retrouver nos si attachantes héroïnes ! Les dessins sont toujours aussi sublimes et je dois dire que j'ai pris beaucoup de plaisir à suivre les petits problèmes de la jeune Pariya !
I probably say this every time, but I'll say it again.
Kaoru Mori's artwork is gorgeous. There's so much intricate detail. You could stare at the artwork for hours and probably still not see every little thing she puts in this series. No wonder this takes her a year or more to complete one volume.
The story is still a historical slice-of-life of a bunch of women, both bride's and aspiring brides (thus the title). This one features Anise and Sherine (the women from the previous volume), a bad ass tiger, Pariya, and Amir. Even though this is slice-of-life, you really should read previous volumes in order.
I look forward to the next volume, even if we probably won't see it in English for two years.
Synopsis: As Anis and Sherine settle into a new life built on love and friendship, tragedy and destruction have thrown the Eihons' village into turmoil. Conflict with neighboring tribes has taken its toll, leaving Pariya's family home in ruins. Though no one was hurt, little survived the assault, including the fabrics meant for Pariya's dowry. Her passionate, frank personality has made things difficult for Pariya in the past, and being forced to delay marriage talks--now that she's finally found an interested suitor--drives her to despair. Despite her anxieties, staying with the Eihons during the reconstruction gives Pariya the opportunity to learn from Amir and her family and build up her self-confidence as she prepares for a hopeful future.
Another cute volume where we are back in Amir’s village after the attack. The volume focuses on the village rebuilding and on the budding romance between Pariya and her suitor from the other village.
The attack destroyed Pariya’s dowry and the volume shows her struggle to remake all the clothes / textiles for the dowry. Pariya is not fond of sewing and she struggles with being traditionally femine as defined by her village and family. However, the author keeps to the historical more which I appreciated - Pariya doesn’t rail against her village and what is needed or whine about how unfair her role in life was. She is not a feminist in the modern sense but a young girl who is struggling. None of the women are portrayed as backward or wrong about wanting to build the dowry - as an example. I liked that authenticity and the camaraderie all of them showed towards Pariya and her family.
There was also a short story with Anis and Sherine in the beginning, which continues the story from the previous volume. I found that charming and cute like the rest of the volume. I liked that they were getting along - the grumpy cat also made a reappearance so yay!!
All in all, very cute and charming. However, in the end since I don't remember too much of what happened in the volume a week or so later which is why I am giving this a 3 star. I remember the budding romance but that’s about it.
I am looking forward, though, to the next volume to see if Pariya develops further and her relationship with her fiancé.
Las neuras de Priya por no conseguir marido y la angustia con su dote perdida dominan un tomo que recupera el tono coral. Bride Stories va a estar entre mis tebeos de esto 2020.
A Bride's Story is best known for its stunning artwork and slow, slice-of-life look at historical Mongolia. For a story that doesn't have much plot, it's always a delight to read! This volume deals primarily with Pariya who is one of my favourite characters. She's a blunt, brash, tom-boyish girl who is constantly trying to fit within the norms of her community, though her friends help her internal self shine while still fitting in. After the attack on the town, her family's home was destroyed along with her dowry embroidery, so this book deals with Pariya learning how to make beautiful linens for her future home. It's slow with a lot of silly emotional teenage moments, but somehow so satisfying to read!
The first chapter is overflow from volume 7, which I found weak, but the rest is about the aftermath of volume 6.
One part of the damage was to the embroideries Pariya was to bring to her wedding. They will not be able to marry her off on time -- after having so hard a time finding her a bridegroom. But there's a lot to be done.
It involves Karluk's having a request for Amir, Pariya's bridegroom knowing how to use an abacus, bricks, the horses they captured, Pariya's attempts to be more proper, and more.
From the wife who has everything, the story shifts to the girl who despairs of becoming a bride. Between the shock of losing her house and the surprise of an unexpected visit from her intended, Pariya goes through quite an emotional roller coaster. While the concept of embroidering a heap of fabric in order to get married is foreign to Westerners, readers will be able to relate to Pariya’s adolescent turmoil as she strives to become a bride her intended can be proud of.
The Review
I’d thought we’d seen the last of avowed sisters Sherine and Anis after Mr. Smith moved on from their town, but Chapter 44 gives one last glimpse of their new life together. As Anis’ husband remarks, “You never know about these things until you’re in the same house,” but Mori-sensei makes clear that Sherine joining as a second wife results in a happily ever after for the whole family. Sherine brings a comic element to the idyllic household, and a frank conversation between the husband and his two wives reveals only mutual respect and devotion among the three. It’s a scenario too good to be true, but Anis has a fairytale life so this ending suits her story.
Then we move from the woman who has everything to the girl whose dowry has been destroyed. When we last saw Amir’s village, they’d just managed to repel a joint attack. Now the battle is over and the recovery effort underway. The town suffered casualties and structural damage, and Mori-sensei makes it personal by focusing on the losses of Pariya’s family. While they are physically unscathed, their house was destroyed and, with it, the embroidered fabrics for Pariya’s dowry.
The difficulty in finding a match for Pariya has been a running joke in the series. Now that she finally has an interested suitor, the wedding’s delayed until she can rebuild her dowry–from scratch. So it’s both sad and hilarious when she rants about how she’ll die unmarried. Fortunately, Pariya’s got friends to help her through the crisis. Amir’s family, which has taken Pariya’s family in, provides the despondent girl with sewing material to restart and guidance to help her over her dislike of embroidery. So against a backdrop of salvaging enemy weapons and hauling bricks for reconstruction, we have a couple chapters focused predominantly on embroidery.
Pariya’s energetic, frank personality is well established, but we know almost nothing about her groom, Umar. However, once he hears news of the attack, he gets a chance to shine. He and his father come to help rebuild, and Pariya–and all the townsfolk–see what he’s capable of. Pariya, who’d been favorably disposed toward him before, grows even more attracted, which results in an increase in awkwardness for the poor girl.
In the midst of Pariya’s efforts to remake her dowry and herself so she can marry Umar before he changes his mind, Mori-sensei also gives a glimpse of what happened to the Halgal. Characters keep hinting at the tensions encompassing the larger region, and although the Russians have yet to show up, it’s probably just a matter of time before they do.
Extras include Mori-sensei’s manga style afterword.
The first chapter of this volume picked up from where the previous volume left off - depicting how Anis and Sherine have been getting along as avowed sisters. (Honestly, I'm still a bit disappointed that their relationship didn't turn into something more)
I really enjoyed the rest of the volume which focused primarily on Pariya making wedding / dowry preparations, dealing with nerves, worrying about not being a perfect wife, worrying about not being good enough, feelings of anxiety… I just couldn't help but feel sorry for poor Pariya! Pariya's interests and talents don't really align with the gender norms of her society, which makes her worry that her betrothed won't find her desirable. I wish I could let her know that there's nothing to worry about and all her worries are just in her head because how could he not like her! She's so quirky and lovable!
The author's note was also really interesting - Kaoru Mori was finally able to go on a research trip to Central Asia and visit Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. She apparently took a lot of pictures and notes during this trip and will incorporate the details into future volumes. I don't know how it would be possible for this manga to be even more detailed than before but I'm looking forward to admiring more of her gorgeous artwork!
I'm also looking forward to reading the next volume to see how Pariya holds up to all these feelings of anxiety and inadequacies.
I'll review the series so far because this is the last book available to me right now: tl;dr: lots of thoughts. Complex, beautiful art, challenging, mature, leisurely-paced
This series boasts some of the most beautiful, detailed art I've seen in a graphic novel. One of the main goals of each installment is to explore the culture of the 19th century silk road, and the quality of the art heightens every new place we explore through its cloth, wood carvings, and landscape. The pace is slow, but we are here to observe and reflect. The visuals can be very mature at times, so I cannot recommend to younger readers, but I was surprised how chaste the stories are for the subject matter—however, the focus is mostly on how marriage customs affect daily life for everyone. The story has challenged me quite a bit. We get to see a lot of brides and their stories, and while I enjoy thinking about how different life can be depending on your culture's social constructs, some of the situations made me feel very uncomfortable. It's peculiar to see certain circumstances presented as a justified resolution to a conflict—one example of a woman arguing for her newly widowed friend to become her husband's second wife was particularly difficult for me to root for, even as I understood that within the context, this was a really great outcome.
I would recommend for adults who enjoy manga/graphic novels and like exploring cultural differences.
This is an excellent volume! I really liked seeing Pariya trying to master herself. She's got it rough but to me it seems like she simply tends to excel at things she probably isn't supposed to as a woman (pottery, clearing ditches, etc.). I wonder how it will be addressed. She is getting much better at embroidery though!
The author's note also finally answered something I've been wondering for a while and that is which country/cultures the story is based in. The answer was threefold: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan inspired a few of the groups we see. It sounds like her trip to those places was very informative; I look forward to seeing how it affects future volumes.
The first chapter finishes up with Anis & Sherine, being the most lesbian chapter in the entire book (bless it, honestly!)
The rest of volume is about the future bride Pariya. Freaking out her dowry was destroyed in the fire & by the time she can remake it the groom might have moved on. Then panicking her handcrafts skills are nowhere near good enough to remake anything worthwhile. Then having outright nightmares about HIM dumping her on the wedding day.... Excellent artwork, good chara development, amazing textures yet again!
I love this series! It's great to see more of Pariya, who has a long road ahead of her. In addition to her...personality...her dowry was destroyed by events that happened in Volume 6. Will she be able to re-make everything in time? I like that the volume was bracketed by stories of female friendship - Volume 7's Anis and Sherine at the beginning, and Pariya and Kamola at the end. Such a great series!
Even while Pariya struggles in this volume, seeing her work hard on embroidery, rebuilding her town, and making friends is so wholesome and heartwarming. Her budding relationship with Umar juxtaposed to the beautiful love between Amir and Karluk is beautifully drawn and written. This volume is great to read when the little things in life get you down!
This volume focuses on pariya and her longing to be settled. After the attack in the previous volume pariya’s family home is destroyed along with her bridal cloth . She must start over completely and this will delay any possible marriage.
Pariya also worries that her personality will drive her potential suitor away.
Il y a que les 8 premiers tomes dans ma librairie rip je vais quand même lire la suite. J'aime trop Pariya et c'est une histoire tellement émouvante qui parle de la culture asiatique et de plein d'autres trucs que je trouve giga intéressants j'aime vraiment beaucoup ça va sûrement être un de mes mangas fav
This volume was a lot more interesting than the previous one with plenty of time dedicated to Amir and Pariya, the 2 girls I like the most in the series. The mangaka showed really well all Pariya's doubts about herself and as usual the interactions between Amir and Karluk were really sweet.
I wish this had been in color and the culture of the people in this book seems to be colorful. Finally something happened that was interesting in this continuing story.
Ce tome est toujours aussi beau, tant du point de vue graphique que de celui de l'histoire. C'est magnifique, superbe... Un excellent tome, une fois de plus.
First there was conflict then renewal - Pariya's Great Marriage Reconstruction Trials begin here!
Okay before getting to the main subject of this book I am going to point out there is a little more of the Sherine and Anis story from last volume so for those that did not care for this pair of wives worry not for you only have another chapter to go and for those that love them rejoice for there is a little more of their tale to tell. :)
After the unfortunate events leading to the Halgal clan and their attempt to take Amir from those she cares for now is the time for punishments and reconstruction after a hard fought battle. Unfortunately although not harmed much of what Pariya has prepared for her eventual marriage has been destroyed in the violence meaning her dowry is now basically gone even though she has not only found a guy she is interested in but likes her too. Thankfully the Eihon family is glad to not only take Pariya in while reconstruction efforts are in full swing but they are helping her learn how to dew better and are there for her when her own over active imagination might lead her to despair. Worry not for this is not the end of Pariya's story (those that have read other volumes of this series probably should know Pariya by now) and although she is very outspoken she even manages to make a new friend as the world goes from hopeless to challenging. :)
Pariya is such a cute little stressball, I literally can't omg. There are so many great characters in this series I can't tell which one's my favorite, they all keep outdoing each other. And Mori is such an excellent writer and artist, that it adds a depth missing in most mangas of this kind.
Great stuff. A Bride Story is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite mangas!