Have I mentioned A Bride’s Story is gorgeous? Of course I have. How could anyone look at this series and not comment on the art?
The first two chapters feature most of the main groups bored, having a lazy day due to the weather, others being gone, or whatever. Meanwhile, Smith continues his journey (which also involves just waiting around at one point). As he stops at a patron’s house, Talas is introduced to Anis and Sherine.
Talas proves just how closely she’s been listening to Smith when she volunteers to take pictures of places where men aren’t allowed. Her dedication to Smith and being willing to live a more Western way of life awes Anis and Sherine. They’re amazed by new technology, but the educated Anis also wants to teach other women how to read and write. So it’s a sense of how culture gradually changes even though it’s not something they can just get up and do. Smith also explains how he got interested in studying languages and cultures — and why it’s so important to do so.
When it comes to the narrative, this is one of A Bride’s Story weakest volumes. One chapter is Pariya playing with her cat; another is Seleke (whom I had to look up to identify) literally letting her hair down in front of her husband (and being interrupted by one of their children). Smith’s benefactor writes to Smith’s mother about having no updates from the researcher.
The manga continues with the historical lessons (explaining the process for finding a bride for a son, for instance), but they’re fewer in number and lower in interest. The twins and their husbands have a boredom-inspired discussion about what they would do if a king showed up at their door — not exactly a riveting conversation that you want to see take up space in a manga with only one volume a year. With a lot of the manga just showing characters sitting and talking, there are less opportunities to explore the culture. Probably the most significant on that front is Smith meeting a man who completed a pilgrimage, and Smith’s escorts rejecting pictures of themselves.
So while the art is always good, it completely overshadows the story in volume 12. Sure, Pariya’s cat is adorable as it pounces on a rope or hisses at the falcon-loving Amir, and even the bath scenes with half-naked women are tastefully done. My favorite though is a beautiful shot of Talas, Anis, and Sherine enjoying each other’s company. Not much to support the art story-wise though.
However, scenes of those three ladies tend to have a lot of flowers decorating the background and the panel border. It gives Talas the feel of a maiden in love, and the two avowed sisters a yuri-esque feeling. That’s only compounded by Sherine’s blushing and stating she wouldn’t be jealous of their husband, a man. Whether their relationship will be explored further or kept ambiguous, I don’t know, but Sherine can tell Anis is personally blossoming now that she’s a part of the community-at-large.
So while she’s having some of the happiest days of her life, I’m sitting here kind of depressed. No hunting, no markets, no crafts, no new setups for the next volume…but hey, we get Seleke auditioning for a L’Oréal shampoo commercial. That’s totally important, right?