#amir and karluk

[mechadeimos]

[calletion]

how do people get over the age gap in brides story. like, karluk should be playing fortnite not having a wife 😭😭

[iukasylvie]

You can view more of Chapter 1 of Aoi Horus no Hitomi from the link below.

Yes, Aoi Horus no Hitomi and A Bride's Story are written and drawn by two different women, but both are gorgeous historical manga series from Kadokawa/Enterbrain's magazine Harta.

I agree that Mori's art in A Bride's Story is impressive. The Kyoto International Manga Museum held an exhibition for the series for free! The Golden Kamuy exhibition at the Museum of Kyoto required visitors to buy tickets and I was only able to pass thanks to my disability certificate.

I prefer Aoi Horus no Hitomi, as well as Golden Kamuy by Satoru Noda and Vlad Drăculea by Akiyo Ohkubo, because they take more time to clarify the context and prepare the reader for things to come, to be honest. I admit that I read Volume 1 of A Bride's Story hastily in a manga café the last time I read the series, but I don't remember any map or ethnic group's name. I wish I knew the exact places Amir and Karluk lived in, their ethnic groups, and the historical context behind 19th-century Central Asia both from a bird's-eye view and a worm's-eye view.

There is a manga about how Hatshepsut came to power and became one of Ancient Egypt’s most sucessful rulers holy shit I am salivating looking at the pages like:

PLEASE GET LICENSED

[berivan-noctisia]

I am thinking about posting at some point of time analysis of certain characters or certain elements from Bride Stories that interest me. I'd like to re-read it from the beginning and observe in more details the different protrayals of (marital) love, how relationships can be thought of and constructed, how gender is taught and performed as well as highlight narrative choices (such as showing much more positive love relationships than abusive ones even though they ought to be common at the time). I think it's fascinating to see how love is showed through little actions that vary greatly and how it helps to characterize different chracters and how it echoes or breaks traditional gender norms. And just general thoughts I'd have while reading.

I think it's just so interesting to see how Karluk's and Amir's clan's structure were build and how it affects them and their relationship (see how Karluk's father chastizes him for not being mainly enough and worrying Amir even though he's still a child, to how Amir encompasses both very feminine and masculine traits, in opposition to other women in her new village and how it worsens Karluk's confidence even if he does not want her to change), or how Pariya feels like she just can't fit the norms even if she aspires to be a good wife, how the twins cry and grieve when they have to leave their family even if they are still close, or how Smith apprehends his relationship with Talas and how his upbringing, personality and position as a the younger son shapes his experiences differently from that of his brother, the portrayal of nudity and sexual intimacy in the story, or simply the different desires and preferences portrayed (from Bekhe's uncompromising criteria based on traditional harsh masculine traits to Talas' fondness for Henry's softness and vulnerability etc.), characters are simply not looking for the same thing and I think it's interesting to take the time and observe it.

If you have any thoughts, remarks or elements that particularly touched you in the story I would love to read about it ! <3 I would also love to know if you'd be interested to read my posts and if you'd have any elements you'd like to see mentioned perhaps ? Thank you <3

[ridley-was-a-cat]

346. A Bride's Story, Vol. 2 - licensed - Amir's family comes to try to take her back to marry someone else, but Karluk's family and the villagers fight them off. Afterwards there's a whole chapter about embroidery and the linen that goes in a dowry that was absolutely gorgeous. Such a pretty manga.

[justfinishedreading]

A Bride’s Story, volume 5 by Kaoru Mori

Warning: Some Spoilers

In this volume we get a wonderful look into what a wedding in historical Central Asian would be like: the preparations, the food, the dancing and the different traditions experienced by the brides vs the grooms. However the heart of the story is Sami and Sarm’s (the grooms, brothers) patience and compassion for Leily and Laila (their brides, twins), sneaking them food and trying to console them as traditionally a bride would sit for hours with her head and body covered by a cloth, waiting for the Imam to arrive to perform the ceremony, in the meantime the rest of the guests (and the groom) celebrate by eating generous amount of amazing food, and by dancing.

After their big day Leily and Laila get depressed at their new home, not because of mistreatment but because the reality of leaving their home has only just hit them, Sami and Sarm try to cheer them up as best they can. But will these two marriages work? Leily and Laila are so wild and impulsive, and Sami and Sarm are calmer and gloomy. When Sami and Sarm get their wedding present from their father, (two fishing boats), the young men come alive with excitement and Leily and Laila mirror their excitement when they join them in fishing and realizes they can catch more fish than before and earn more money. All four of them are energetic, hardworking fishers, in their lives they will work together, the women will bring life and cheer to the men’s gloomy souls, and the men will bring calm and order to the twins.

The one of the last stories returns focus to Amir and Karluk, Amir finds a wounded trained hunting hawk, and looks after it while it’s wing heals, unfortunately the wing takes too long to heal and is warped, the bird cannot fly, although it greatly pains Amir she says it must be put down, Karluk shows great compassion and concern for Amir’s feelings and suggest keeping it as a pet, Amir replies

“Flying is a bird’s life. And to make it a pet, never to fly again, being fed by hand... even if it were still alive like that, it wouldn’t be living. No, that would never do. Before even considering that… it would be better to leave it here on the plains for the other animals to eat.”

It’s a very ableist attitude to take, an animal’s main drive is to survive, can we know for sure that if it was presented with the choice of being fed by humans and having to walk on the ground, never able to fly, or the choice to die, it would pick death? Add to that an attitude of human superiority, it is fine to keep a hawk as a trained hunting animal to assist its human owner, but it is not ok for a human to look after the hawk as it’s carer.

I don’t know the nature of hawks, having no experience handling birds of prey, perhaps Amir is right and their personality doesn’t allow them to be looked after, they are solitary hunters, not like more social animals that can learn to derive pleasure from constant human company, I tried to do a little research and one website wrote “domestication and captivity go against their nature.” Perhaps if we had seen a trial of keeping it as a pet and see how it adapted that would help the reader understand the correct thing to do, if it refused to eat, become lethargic (basically depressed) or aggressive and overly anxious, that could indicate that it couldn’t go on in this state.

However as a reader you have to be aware of two messages being convey, on hand this is a simple short story about a hawk that can’t fly and the right thing to do for the animal is to put it down, on the other hand: symbolism, it’s a story that conveys a general ableist attitude towards what is considered truly “living” and what kind of a life is “worth” living. As you can tell it was a story that left me with questions.

Review by Book Hamster

[hawkeyedflame]

My bad. i did not see your posts date. The context was that you answered some ask and said explicitly that it plays is what is now modern day iran. And i just wanted to add that the creator confirmed that it plays further northeast along the caspian sea ( except for the tajik part) amir is kazakh and karluk uyghur/uzbek. I thought it would be obvious since it gets marketed as a central asian story and iran isnt part of the modern definition

ok, well i stand corrected then. i've never seen the marketing for it before lol, i don't follow anime/manga news. it was sent directly to me by a friend, and i'd never heard of it prior. but like, again, and not to be rude, i haven't even read this manga in years so... i really don't care very much. sorry.

[raguna-blade]

[ashitakaxsan]

This Awesome Art Exhibition

Any time I take looks of the manga A Bride’s Story(by Mori Kaoru sama)I don’t take my eyes away.It really impresses me with it’s Lovely,Detailed Art,along with the story’s significance:)

Premise:

” It's the 19th century in a tribal town near the Caspian Sea, Central Asia. People lead simple lives along the Silk Road, believing in various customs and traditions as they have for many years. Amir Halgal is a beautiful 20-year-old woman skilled in archery, hunting, and horseback riding. She has come from a faraway village for an arranged marriage to a charming 12-year-old boy by the name of Karluk Eihon. Due to the large age difference, the relationship between Amir and Karluk is a little awkward initially. However, everyday interactions between the two allow them to develop feelings of love and respect for each other that eventually strengthen their bond. Otoyomegatari follows the daily lives and challenges of Amir and Karluk alongside various other couples across Central Asia, in a beautiful portrayal of the culture and traditions of the brides of the era”.

  Now the popular manga is getting its first original exhibition at TOKOROZAWA SAKURA TOWN in Tokorozawa city of Saitama prefecture. The exhibition is hosted by Kadokawa.

Not only the Artwork,but  the exhibition will also feature a special lunch menu hearten by Central Asian cuisine,with joint cultural events in cooperation with the representative embassies of Central Asia, and event products designed with original illustrations by the author.

Mori sama left a  message about the specific presentation:

"A Bride's Story, set in Central Asia (or Central Eurasia at large), is a region that doesn't get much exposure in Japan. For it to be enjoyed by fans to the extent that I'm now able to share it to an even wider audience through an exhibition makes me very happy.

The exhibition isn't just about the manga, but also an introduction to Central Asian culture. Fans will of course enjoy the show, but even non-readers should have a good time learning about the region and each country's respective culture. Through the manga medium, a manga-ka like me is able to form a distant connection with my reader. With this exhibition however, I hope we are able to close that distance and establish an even deeper connection, even if by a little. The show runs about a month, which is longer than your typical exhibition, so please do give it a visit. I'm looking forward to it too."

My say:Wow,it will be an Interesting Event.I can’t be there,but my heart is tied up with it.

[tsunflowers]

I love otoyomegatari but if you want to read it you should be aware that the main character is in an arranged marriage with a 12 year old boy when she's 20. personally I think ms mori did this bc she didn't want to have a real man hanging around amir bc amir is the perfect woman but it's there and it's unavoidable

[pureu-pi]

Otoyomegatari - A Young Bride's Story By Kaoru Mori

[mechadeimos]

[pocketseizure]

[atesan]

at my age, i was sure i was too old to be anyone’s first choice for marriage. so when they told me they found a match, i thought my husband would probably be an old man as well. back then, you looked so little and cute standing there...

[ljf613]

OTP List

otp: always and forever (Nathan x Haley, One Tree Hill)

otp: a cursed boy and a cursed girl (Zeref x Mavis, Fairy Tail)

otp: a seed of truth (Yukio x Shura, Blue Exorcist)

otp: bringing you home (Bruno x Mirabel, Encanto)

otp: call my name (Yato x Hiyori, Noragami)

otp: don't let me kill you just yet (Zack x Rachel, Angels of Death)

otp: even if the whole world is against you (Naofumi x Raphtalia, Rising of the Shield Hero)

otp: every single thing about you (Marco x Star, Star vs. the Forces of Evil)

otp: give yourself to me (Hak x Yona, Yona of the Dawn)

otp: got a problem with that? (Atsushi x Risa, Lovely Complex)

otp: if we survive this one i'm yours (Mamoru x Haruka, Until Death Do Us Part)

otp: i'm glad i trusted you (Satoru x Airi, Erased)

otp: in our own time (Young MacGuffin x Merida, Brave)

otp: i've always loved you (Zack x Quitterie, Astra: Lost in Space)

otp: i am his wife (Karluk x Amir, A Bride's Story)

otp: i still love you so much it hurts (Ben x Grace, Manifest)

otp: make you mine (Ban x Elaine, Seven Deadly Sins)

otp: milky way (Ledo x Amy, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet)

otp: my dear boy (Aladdin x Kougyoku, Magi: Labyrinth of Magic)

otp: nothing was worth losing her (Sesshomaru x Rin, Inuyasha)

otp: one step at a time (Shiki x Sawa, Fruits Basket Another)

otp: our promise (Van x Trisha, Fullmetal Alchemist)

otp: stunning work (Huan x Ikki, Avatar: Legend of Korra)

otp: tallahassee (Neal x Emma, Once Upon a Time)

otp: thanks for cheering me up (Chat Noir x Marinette, Miraculous Ladybug)

otp: that's how i show affection (Zuko x Toph, Avatar: The Last Airbender)

otp: they understood each other perfectly (Harry x Ginny, Harry Potter)

otp: the greatest gift in the world (Hiccup x Astrid, How to Train Your Dragon)

otp: the moon (Shoya x Shoko, A Silent Voice)

otp: the most precious person in my life (Kyo x Tohru, Fruits Basket)

[offbeat-manga-ships]

OTOYOMEGATARI (乙嫁語り)

A Bride’s Story / Mori Kaoru

Ongoing, with 14 volumes (as of 2024-10-19)

F/M; Seinen, Historical, Slice of Life, Drama, Romance + ag, ag: ym x of, younger m, older f, taller f x shorter m + side pairing: f x f, implicit or ambiguous, queer & ambqueer

SUMMARY: It’s the 19th century in a tribal town near the Caspian Sea, Central Asia. People lead simple lives along the Silk Road, believing in various customs and traditions as they have for many years. Amir Halgal is a beautiful 20-year-old woman skilled in archery, hunting, and horseback riding. She has come from a faraway village for an arranged marriage to a charming 12-year-old boy by the name of Karluk Eihon.

Due to the large age difference, the relationship between Amir and Karluk is a little awkward initially. However, everyday interactions between the two allow them to develop feelings of love and respect for each other that eventually strengthen their bond. Otoyomegatari follows the daily lives and challenges of Amir and Karluk alongside various other couples across Central Asia, in a beautiful portrayal of the culture and traditions of the brides of the era.

MAL score: 8.56 AL mean score: 85% MU average: 8.8

PERSONAL SCORE: 10* out of 10

*currently unfinished; score might change