Otoyomegatari (2008 - Ongoing)

Amira and Karluk

Written by famed mangaka Mori Kaoru, and published by Enterbrain in Japan and Yen Press in the United States, Otoyomegatari (A Bride's Tale) is a historical fiction/slice of life manga. Taking place during the late 19th Century and set in Turkic Central Asia, it follows the story of a young woman named Amira Hergal who is married off to a suitor named Karluk Ayhan as is the custom. Much to Amira's surprise however, her suitor is eight years younger than her. This unique irony is not lost on her or any of the other characters for that matter, but the two try to make the best of it. All is well until Amira's family shows up some months later and seek to end the arrangement with Karluk's family and marry Amira off to another tribal head who while possessing sizable land and military power, was also responsible for the deaths of his two previous wives who were also Amira's older sisters. When Amira's complete shock and utter terror isn't enough to deter her father's wishes, the breach in cultural norms turns into a full-blown tribal war.

Y'know how it is when your husband is a kid.

This might seem like something of a spoiler for a major plot point and while this conundrum becomes a focal point of the story there are events before and after the tribal war which not only focus on Amira and Karluk but other characters as well. Kaoru shows off her writing chops in building the main story and developing peripheral characters in addition to telling their stories as well.

Amira at home.

What is amazing about Kaoru's writing is that she is able to capture the beauty and significance in what might seem like the most mundane aspects of life but nothing here is trivial. She clearly did a great deal of research into the living habits and culture of 19th Century Turkish people and that comes across in nearly every panel in each chapter and is further accentuated by the characters personalities and habits across various tales. 

"All the power in the world resides in the eyes."

This is a "slice of life" manga which means that a lot of the narrative revolves around everyday things from family gatherings, to trips to the city, and hunting. This is important to note because these details also play a role in character development. We learn early on that Amira comes from a tribe of nomads and given their lifestyle hunting plays a major role in their survival. Even among her clansmen Amira is considered one of the best; excelling in tracking, archery, and horsemanship. On the other hand Karluk's tribe are pastoral in nature whose hunting techniques have been lost for at least three generations. There is a believable sense of amazement here not because Amira is a woman but because she not only knows "the old ways" but she excels at them. 

Amira is the best at what she does.

Amira is a great female lead in part because Kaoru never makes a big deal about how strong she is and how independent she is and omg look you guys she is so cool. In essence, Amira's role as a powerful female lead is a natural exploration of a nomadic woman from this time. In addition to being skilled at hunting, tracking, and horseback riding, she also knows her way around a fight and even her older brother who is an exceptional warrior acknowledges her. She isn't a superhero or the stalwart icon of anyone's particular agenda but a human character serving as a natural representation of the lifestyle and the times. At her core she's a badass normal character with personality and that is what makes her so appealing.

There will be blood.

All of the women in the manga are outspoken which in addition to being historically accurate also breaks down the western stereotype that outspoken women is somehow new. This is clearly seen in a thought-provoking and humorous exchange between the men and women of Karluk's clan when they argue about how Karluk and Amira should act towards each other, with neither of them being able to say anything. Karluk on account of not quite being a man and therefore having no say while Amira still being new to the family and not knowing quite what to say. While I'm tempted to go on about Amira for another three paragraphs (because she is cool she is badass and omg look you guys one of my favorite characters) she's not the only character explored in this title.

Prepare for trouble. Make that double.

This slice of life title doesn't just take slices out of Karluk's and Amira's life but the lives of several other characters as well. One of the side-stories involve two girls trying to find wealthy husbands so as to ease the financial strain on their family. What's funny is that the twins take off their head-coverings when they spot a man they want (because only a husband is allowed to see their wife's uncovered head) and try to use that as a ploy to force him into marriage. This never works and a fair share of the men they run into seem to pick up on the game right away. This doesn't stop them from trying it however. 

Beautiful but frail.

Another side story revolves around a young woman named Talas who is living with her mother-in-law without her husband. This detail is very telling of her compassionate nature because in this culture it is unusual for a woman to not return home after her husband has died. However, Talas's mother-in-law is very old and frail and Talas refuses to leave her on account of wanting to take care of her. This is reminiscent of Naomi and Ruth from The Bible. Some further intrigue comes into play when Henry Smith (a close friend of Karluk's family) runs into the mother and daughter on one of his trips and stays with them for awhile. Henry and Talas soon fall in love with each other much to the approval of Talas's mother-in-law who wants Talas to move on and find happiness.

Azel The Fang

Amira's older brother Azel also gets some character development as well. When the tribes are on the brink of war Azel gets a lot more panel time and we quickly learn he's a calculated and resourceful sort. While he's as fierce as the wolves his tribe is most often associated with, we also learn that in his innermost depths is a great deal of loyalty and devotion to duty. It's a character trait that is tested by fire when he must choose between his sister and his tribe. What's great about character development like Azel's is that it is reflective of the overall approach to this title and that's the emphasis on character interaction.

Azel is not impressed.

Otoyomegatari doesn't just go from one event to another but it focuses on how characters interact and associate with one another. One example includes Azel's interactions with his cousins when talking about the upcoming war and a lot is learned about Azel and his cousins based on how they discuss dealing with this problem. I also like the interaction between Henry Smith and Karluk's family. Henry has been staying with the family for months and apart from calling him Mr. Smith he is seen as a very close friend - if not another member of the family despite the fact that he's a westerner. We're not "told" the family gets along with him rather we see how the characters interact with one another at meal time and discussing everyday activities. One of the scenes I found most telling is when the patriarch is planning to purchase some things from the city and everyone including Mr. Smith starts making request with the only protest being the patriarch is buying everyone what they need and not what they want. Never is Mr. Smith excluded because he is a foreigner which is very telling of the inclusive nature of many tribes.

Just the tip of the iceberg where detail is concerned.

Kaoru isn't just a brilliant writer she's also an amazing artist as these panels have no doubt shown already. The amount of detail she puts into drawing characters eyes and even the position of their fingers in certain acitivities carries over into how she draws the environments and objects like cookware, weapons, rugs, and clothing. This manga is clearly drawn by someone who has both respect and admiration for the culture she is writing about which is outside the norm for most mangaka.

It's going down.

In addition to being a slice of life manga Otoyomegatari is also seinen. That means it has mature content but to a lesser degree than other seinen titles. There is violence but no gore to speak of and barely any blood. There is nudity but it's rare and where it is present it is done tastefully - typically when a character is bathing which makes the most sense. The mature content of the title largely comes in the form of these being characters with real problems. No one is trying to save the world or become hokage but characters are trying to live in politically and culturally turbulent times. Some aim to embrace the new ways while others prefer to stick to the old.

Thinking of home keeps Amira up at night.

With all this in mind Otoyomegatari is a fantastic read for someone looking for something different. It has great characters, a lot of touching moments, and even some humor and tragedy as well. And when the fighting does start Kaoru isn't afraid to let tensions run high, but she also has the integrity to know when to end a subplot and progress story. It's not for the culturally insensitive however as some of the practices explored here (marrying women off for x-reasons) are foreign to us but natural to the culture the manga is focused on. If you're willing to step out of your comfort zone you'll find a great story here that doesn't disappoint.