This manga covers multiple stories. Some are grounded, others feels like straight up fairy tale, all interesting in their own way.

Originally I only read this because of the comedy tag, but was disappointed to realize the comedy is almost nonexistent. The story seems to alternate between very light romance and tradition/cultural drama. Some of the themes are very serious, but at the same time everything is portrayed in a positive family friendly way which is a bit confusing and breaks the immersion.

Overall well made but ultimately forgettable manga.

faviroute manga ll time the haqq always wins

The best artwork by far. Meticulously researched and detailed.
Storylines drenched in sympathy and compassion.
It would be shame if anyone did not even attempt to read this.
If there were only more mangaka like her...

Absolutely fantastic storytelling. Just pulls you in and you can’t put it down until you’re on the last page, even the side characters and side stories are beautifully written and well thought out. The only side story I wasn’t that interested in was the but it was still alright.

I have to say I wasn’t a fan of the author seeing how I didn’t like Emma, found it too dry and shallow despite, after some effort, managing to get through both the anime and the manga, but after reading Shirley and hearing such good things about this manga I had to give it a read, am glad I did!

The best thing to do if you’re worried about all the sjw comments is to read it yourself and make your own judgements. Just keep note that this is a historical story and thus has to be kept at least somewhat realistic. Plus the main couples are not abusive at all, in fact it promotes a very emotionally healthy marriage especially with the main couple and with Pariya’s story, and the ones that are abusive are made clear to the readers, no victim blaming or protecting the abusers at all.

... Last updated on September 12th, 2018, 1:09pm

There have been comments that the series is somehow unworthy of the times and places it depicts. All should recall that opinions are like anuses in that everyone's has one and they do indeed spew forth smelly material.

Its a manga that represents the ideal of a culture in gorgeous art rarely equaled in its medium. The stories are crafted to that end.

Cultures evolve. Social Justice Warriors ignore this. However, they cannot ignore it should there be coffee served in a teacup. I wonder why that is so?

Not all lives were ugly, brutish, and short. Not all slaves hated their masters. Not all members of harems felt exploited. That is the reality despite what SJW and editorializing historians might have one and all believe.

Applying modern and culturally biased views in revisionist judgement is a crime against history and human knowledge. Using them as a standard for this manga is absurd and deserves derision and scorn.

... Last updated on April 13th, 2017, 12:18am

It's engaging from the very first page, when you see Amir's face. She had that bemused look, with her large eyes wide open and her red lips extending a mischievous smile. She rode a horse on her own over the mountains. Oh my!

And so you can tell whether you will like this story from the first page. And I urge you to do so, before throwing your judgement on that 'child' marriage, because the story summary did a very poor job of showing what it is actually about.

The story is devoted to depicting an ideal world of the Central Asia in the 19th century. It deliberately ignored almost all reality checks, and chose to highlight their cultural value instead. For example, look at how the husbands treat their wives with respect and responsibility. Or how the two parties, during a marriage negotation, also visit each other and try to establish a bond between the families. Look at how the groom asks the bride what he could improve in order to make her like him better. In such a supportive environment, you can't help feeling that the happiness in these arranged marriages is real, not thanks to some lovestruck chemistry but because both sides have worked hard to gradually build it. And so you will come to appreciate this old-fashioned, almost non-existant culture just a bit more.

... Last updated on October 7th, 2016, 2:51pm

    Before I make any comments, I must correct the anachronism of some prior comments:
1. Even if you skipped over the beginning of the first chapter, it should be clear from the pocket watch and all things western in the manga that it does not take place in the twelfth or sixteenth centuries but the nineteenth. Based on various details found in the manga, I'm guessing Otoyomegatari takes place mid-century (circa 1860, earlier would make the characters of Mr. Smith and the female Brit impossible).
2.The story does not take place in Mongolia (East Asia) but in Central Asia in the general region of the Aral and Caspian Seas: from the maps in chapter seventeen and the prior progress of the story, the story begins just East of the Aral Sea but not far enough East for Qing Dynasty China to be a significant factor. (Later on, the location of the village the story starts in is specified to be near the city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan, and that's as far East as the setting ever gets. In other words, most of the groups in the story are Turkic, not Mongolic, and the political powers in play are Britain and Russia.)
3. As with any other work, please read it for what it is, not what it isn't. This story is very definitely a historical slice of life. Note the lack of the action genre, and although it's labeled "drama," it's more like there are touches of drama here and there. Overall, Otoyomegatari is a more serious type of story (or heavier reading, one might say), thus the Seinen demographic (maybe I was a precocious little girl, but I doubt that's it).
    The plot is essentially an interconnected episodic, moving from bride to bride, following Amir and then also people connected to her. Using courtship and marriage as a device, Mori-sensei has created a story whose primary aim is ethnographic, and she thus tries to give an objective view of the cultures involved. Even Mr. Smith is a linguist and ethnographer, as well as an excellent method of explaining many aspects of the cultures without forced incursion of a narrator. This is also why she avoids the negative aspects of cultures she's glancing over: sure, she could talk about the negative aspects of the cultures (e.g. polygamy, abuse, and arranged marriages) but, for the purposes of the story, when mentioned, it is in passing. Also disease and illness are addressed to a minor extent, as it is, yet again, not primary (oh, just a point, people do die, not just villains). I should also mention that the complexity of Amir's story and the second bride's tale (Talas) definitely reveal issues found in that region, and that in the fourth brides' (Anis and Shirin) the saccharine feeling is commented on in universe by the nurse as fairytale-like and improbable. Furthermore, daily life is not dramatic, by definition. A story cannot address every single thing imaginable: a story has composition just as much as a picture (i.e. there's a need to pick and choose). Inclusion of rape, bride kidnapping, slavery (not a big issue in that region), and the like is emotionally grabbing and dramatic, which would leave the reader too emotionally involved for Mori-sensei's aims, seeing as it would overshadow the ethnographic details.
    As ever, Mori-sensei's artwork is extraordinary and her storytelling masterful. The extended use of visuals works perfectly. The characters are enjoyable, and their emotions and expressions are complex when the situation asks for it. The pace is enjoyable, and the dashes of humour and periodic dark streaks are lovely and make Otoyomegatari all the more worth while.
    If you want a harder or more historical view, rather than an ethnographic one, I would look at Wolfsmund, Shut Hell, or Chang Ge Xing. However, for the aims and scope of the story, Mori-sensei is leaving very few gaps. The detail of her research is also fabulous: down to tiny particulars. Although I really would appreciate translations of blurbs of her research for this story, those are in a separate volume.

... Last updated on November 24th, 2019, 3:15pm

As a manga loving Anthropology student, this manga hits all the right notes for me. Sure it's a highly romanticized look at village life, but it tells its story with dignity, humor, affection and such breathtakingly meticulous art that it's almost like reading a really moving ethnography. Highly recommended.

... Last updated on April 25th, 2016, 5:11am

The art is amazing and very detailed. You can tell that the mangaka tried hard to portay the rural life of Central Asia. And, also, she must have done her research in order to grasp the atmosphere of that era. However, her themes, like a marriage between a 20 year old woman and a 12 year old child (with big puppy eyes and child-like appearance), plus, her persistence to win his affections, are disturbing to me. And by the way, I've read this manga up to a point to form an opinion as to what it has to offer other than that. I couldn't continue reading it with an open mind as other readers here and thus I left it.

... Last updated on April 23rd, 2022, 7:05am