乙嫁語り 15 [Otoyomegatari 15]

乙嫁語り [Otoyomegatari] #15

by Kaoru Mori, 森 薫

スミスとタラスはイギリスへ。待望の15巻が発売!

中央アジアを訪れていた英国人のスミスは、現地で恋した薄幸の乙嫁・タラスを連れてイギリスへ帰った。父や母や兄弟に、スミスはタラスを紹介する。果たして家族の反応は……?

Genres: Manga, Romance, Historical Fiction, Seinen, Fiction, Comics, Graphic Novels

224 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2024

About the author

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).

Reviews

[Walkíria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg, Henry and Tallas are getting married finally!!!
Sorry Henry's mother, but your son can decide for himself!

And... I caught up with the last volume... Now it's just waiting...

[Devero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finalmente Mr. Smith torna in Inghilterra e vediamo le reazioni della sua nobile e ricca famiglia al suo desiderio di sposare "una indigena", secondo le parole della madre, perfetta bacchettona vittoriana.

Dopo averci deliziato con le ottime rappresentazioni delle aree turcofone ed iraniche dell'Asia centrale ed intermedia, Mori sensei ci mostra che non ha per nulla dimenticato l'Inghilterra della sua precedente opera.

Meno avvenimenti rispetto agli ultimi numeri, e più profondità, nonché un ribaltamento della situazione del viaggiatore: adesso non è l'inglese ad essere solo in terra straniera, è la donna turca.
Non mancano scorribande per vedere come se la cavano i comprimari rimasti nelle steppe.

In attesa di vedere come la Mori risolverà la conquista e distruzione di Bukhara e dintorni, dove vivonno Karluk ed i suoi parenti, posso dare tranquillamente 4 stelle, e mezza in più, a quest'albo.

[Lucille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un tome de retour en angleterre pour la majorité du récit ! Ca reste passionnant, j'adore suivre cette série

[Jerome · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry quitte l’Asie centrale pour retourner en Angleterre. Il emmène avec lui Talas, qu’il compte épouser une fois arrivé chez lui. Malheureusement, sa mère s’oppose à l’union de son fils avec une “autochtone”. Le couple n’étant pas bienvenu dans la demeure familiale, il trouve refuge dans un pavillon de chasse prêté par Hawkins, un ami d’Henry. Une fois installée dans son nouveau foyer, Talas souhaite acquérir des moutons et démarrer un élevage. Une façon pour elle de mieux appréhender le dépaysement total que représente sa venue sur le sol anglais.
Changement de décor dans ce 15ème tome puisque l’essentiel des événements se déroule en Europe et non plus en Asie Centrale. Henry se débat avec les préjugés familiaux et sa future femme, consciente d’être, au mieux une intruse, au pire une paria, se demande si elle va réussir à s’acclimater à son nouvel environnement. C’est toujours aussi bien dessiné, la psychologie des personnages est parfaitement maîtrisée et cet épisode “européen” donne un nouveau souffle à la série, même si Kaoru Mori propose pour finir quelques chapitres asiatiques avec Ali, l’ancien guide d’Henry, qui va devoir faire face à de nombreuses courtisanes après son retour au village. Deux ans d’attente depuis le tome précédent mais le plaisir de lecture reste intact, c’est bien le principal !

[Othy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great volume of slow story and visual poetry. Most of the volume is about Smith and Talas, with a few peaks at side characters such as Ali. At first, I was disappointed with the lack of reaction from Smith and Talas in their new location, but then I remembered that both characters keep so much to themselves. Their inner thoughts are expressed through landscape and domestic detail, such as slotted spoons or Talas looking out over the landscape at the sheep. The emotions are more than happy/sad or comfortable/troubled, and sitting with the characters through their experiences gives a sense of their feelings more than anything definite.

I also really enjoyed how Mori depicted the shifting setting: images of boats and houses made it seem like the view was from a bird passing quickly over the landscape.

[Maia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series will always be S-tier for me. I adore it and all the characters. There is really nothing to compare this to, the art, the different interesting historical perspective, the slice of life lack of drama. Love love love it. Thanks Jewel!

[Adriano Barone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il più grande fumetto storico di tutti i tempi l'ho già detto, ma a ogni volume va ribadito.

[Cel Red · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fue interesante ver cómo la familia Smith recibía a Talas, pero me hubiera gustado pasar más tiempo en Asia que en UK.

Al final regresa Ali, lo que me gusta mucho porque es de mis favs.

Tristemente, no Azel en este volumen.

[Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfection! Talas and Mr. Smith journey to England where Talas is less than welcome. I liked the slight meta nature of Kaoru Mori going back to England like in her Emma series. Though as she points out in her afterward, the end of the 19th century and the middle of the 19th century in England are like two different countries. Also the glimpses of the people who helped get Talas and Mr. Smith get to England and their HEA's was the cherry on top of the cake. Damn I love this series but now I have to wait forever for a new volume! At least in the afterward it's promised as sooner rather than later, but still we're always a year behind release because of the translation...

Henry Smith's time in Asia has come to an end, or so his family has decreed. He has been captivated by his study of the Silk Road and the people he has met along the way. But his family are worried about him, his sporadic correspondence might be to blame, and they have "requested" that he return home. His family friend in Ankara, Mr. Hawkins, has been asked to intercede on their behalf as he himself is leaving the conflicted region. The fact that Henry is still alive is a bit of a shock to Mr. Hawkins, but nothing to the shock he will receive. Henry had wished to retrace his steps and say a fond farewell to all those he had met along the way, to try to capture them forever in his mind and on film with a camera he was able to acquire. This would have been a long, parlous, and probably impossible journey with the movement of Russian troops, but Henry has an additional hitch. Awhile back he met a young widow, Talas. They had fallen in love but her duty to her mother-in-law made her say goodbye to the scholarly Englishman. Yet her love for him endured and she has followed him to Ankara. Mr. Smith now intends to take her on this journey as his wife. Not just through their abbreviated sojourn among his past acquaintances, but all the way back to England. Mr. Hawkins begs him to reconsider but Henry's mind is made up. Eventually Henry, Talas, and her beloved horse Chubar, make their way to the Port of Bombay. There they book passage back to England. But Henry's homecoming is anything but welcoming. His mother won't even meet Talas and will do anything to stop them from actually marrying. The scandal would ruin them. Or so she claims. Thankfully Mr. Hawkins comes to the rescue. His family have a disused hunter lodge that Henry and Talas can live while things settle down at home. Henry will work on assembling his copious notes for publication while Talas will keep sheep. English sheep might look different, but a sheep is a sheep and she knows what she's doing. She's a practical woman. She's even considering putting Chubar out to stud. Yet Henry is her opposite, a true dreamer. Which is why he decides that if he presents Talas and his marriage as a fait accompli his family will accept her. They set out for Scotland with his brother and Mr. Hawkins as co-conspirators. But will their plan work? Only time will tell.

I first discovered Kaoru Mori back in 2010 through her manga series Emma. I was so desperate to read this story that was out of print stateside that I ordered the first volume from England. Thankfully the proceeding six volumes were available through my local library. Though, if you are a fan of this manga about a Victorian maid finding love, you will perhaps notice that my library didn't have the final three volumes and I had to wait until they were rereleased in an omnibus format to finally read the ending. And that didn't happen until seven years later. All this is to say that when a Kaoru Mori book comes out you buy it. You do whatever you can to buy that book because before you know it you won't be able to get your hands on it ever again. Yes, I'm looking at you Shirley. You're the holy grail. When A Bride's Story first started getting released in English in 2011 we were spoiled in that twice we got two volumes in a single year. Now it's a volume about every other year. Not that I'm complaining. Kaoru Mori's art is so intricate and amazing, down to the finest detail of fabric or bread, that I can't believe she can even keep to a biannual schedule. From the day I picked up this series I have been captivated but this "slice-of-life tale that is at once wholly exotic, yet familiar." The stories of each and every character have captivated me. They are my friends. We readers have journeyed with Mr. Smith along the silk road and met nomadic tribesmen, overstimulated twins, skilled hunters, sister wives, and blunt bread makers. When he started to head towards Ankara in Vol. 10 it was wistful. Because as readers it felt that once his journey came to an end the series would come to an end. And as he traveled with Talas to Port Bombay it felt like a farewell tour. We weren't just saying goodbye to these characters but this way of life that Russia would soon destroy. Yet this volume showed how this story could continue outside of Asia. We see Talas and Henry struggling and succeeding to make a life. It's a different, solitary kind of life, but I can't help feeling that as long as they have each other they will survive and thrive. Though what touched me most was the quiet moments. Kaoru Mori always has these vignettes that don't tie into the rest of the story but show a moment in time in these characters' lives. Here it was how Chubar was struggling on the sea voyage and how the ship's cat came to befriend and therefore calm him. It was this moment of two animals living symbiotically that brought a smile to my face on the darkest of nights. This series just keeps me in it's thrall. The black and white line work, the characters, their stories, I never want it to end. I can't wait for Vol. 16, but it will be at least two years. Perhaps I should reread it all again? Or maybe reread Emma... You can never have enough Kaoru Mori in your life.

[Tachan · Rating 5 out of 5]

15 ans que l’autrice dessine et écrit cette série et c’est toujours une merveille. En Asie ou à l’autre bout du monde, dans le désert ou la folie londonienne, son trait et ses histoires font toujours mouche !

Je ne suis pas une grande fan de Smith, pourtant le récit de son retour en Angleterre où il présente Talas à sa famille comme sa fiancée, avec ses airs d’Emma, autre succès incroyable de l’autrice, m’a beaucoup plu. L’autrice a un talent fou pour les histoires d’amour et notamment celles avec des complications. Elles vibrent de réalisme.

Ainsi nous reprenons la route de »la civilisation », notre civilisation dans ce tome et ce qu’on appelait autrefois le »choc des civilisations » est très finement joué. Alternant sans cesse avec de petits épisodes de ceux étant restés dans les pays quittés par Smith, elle nous compte aussi combien au final ce choc n’est pas un choc car partout dans le monde les choses se ressemblent à quelques variations près. C’est très beau, très doux, très mélancolique.

Plus que Smith, qui est vraiment tête en l’air et ailleurs la plupart du temps, j’ai énormément apprécié le personnage de Talas dans ce tome, cette femme courageuse qui a tout abandonné par amour pour lui et qui doit découvrir un nouveau pays. Les tableaux imaginés par l’autrice sont somptueux et d’une tendresse. Elle accorde une place magnifique à la nature et aux animaux qui a fait chavirer mon coeur, dès l’épisode du bateau et du cheval de Talas, mais également ensuite dans cette campagne où ils vont se réfugier et élever des moutons. Utilisant astucieusement des éléments culturels de chaque peuple, elle tisse finement une alliance entre les deux en la personne de Talas : passionnée de broderie par sa culture, amoureuse des chevaux également, ce qui est aussi le cas des Anglais, qui ont également la même passion pour le fil et la laine à travers leurs troupeaux. La boucle est bouclée.

Avec une force tranquille à faire pâlir d’envie chaque écrivain, l’autrice déploie ainsi une histoire simple et pourtant universelle : une histoire d’amour avec des obstacles que rien n’arrête pourtant. Une famille qui ne souhaite pas reconnaître cette épouse étrangère qu’importe. Une maison retirée à la campagne et solitaire, on en fait un très doux cocon de nouvelle vie. Des coutumes différentes, on cherche à les comprendre et les rapprocher des nôtres. C’est simple et terriblement beau. Et avec la même force nonchalante, on revient nous donner des nouvelles de ceux laissés derrière. Avec la même émotion que pour Talas notre coeur fond pour sa belle-mère d’abord, le temps d’un chapitre très puissant. Puis on retrouve avec beaucoup de malice le jeune Ali qui accomplit son rêve de se marier avec une bien drôle de compagne, mais tellement sincère (et qui fait penser aux jumelles au passage). Aucune fioriture, juste la puissance d’écriture de l’autrice et quelle puissance !

Ces histoires d’épouses continuent donc de conquérir mon coeur à chaque tome, peu importe le lieu, peu importe la personne. Elles sont toutes puissantes dans leur résilience et leur beauté à voir la vie comme un challenge et non un obstacle. Talas m’a totalement conquise ici avec cette découverte, à travers ses yeux, de l’Angleterre (au passage richement documentée comme toujours par l’autrice). J’ai adoré également retrouver brièvement quelques uns de nos amis indo-orientaux pour continuer à m’émouvoir de leur vie. L’autrice a une grande force pour raconter ces destinées proches et lointaines à la fois avec une grande justesse et vivacité. C’est juste terriblement beau ❤

Article complet : https://lesblablasdetachan.wordpress....

[Luana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forse era da più di un anno che non usciva un volume di questa serie 🤔 il tratto dei disegni rimane sempre bellissimo, soprattutto quando vengono mostrati i dettagli dei ricami o le tavole dedicate ai paesaggi.
Questo quindicesimo volume si concentra sul ritorno a casa di Smith, accompagnato da Talas. La sua scelta di sposare una donna straniera lascia straniti i familiari: se il padre e il fratello maggiore cercano di capire, anche se con fatica, la scelta di Henry, la madre non vuole sentire ragioni, mossa da pregiudizi che, a dirla tutta, esistono ancora oggi. E siccome la signora non vuole avere Talas in casa, Henry e la futura moglie si spostano in campagna, dove portano avanti una vita piuttosto semplice e tranquilla. E se ci sono ovviamente delle differenze, non mancano i punti in comune: d'altronde certi aspetti della vita e certe situazioni si possono incontrare un po' ovunque, indipendentemente che ci si trovi nel Regno Unito o in quello che qui viene chiamato Turkestan. Quel che è certo è che, agli occhi di una famiglia tradizionalista e piuttosto inquadrata, certe azioni e scelte di Henry possono sembrare assurde e decisamente poco comprensibili. In mezzo a tutto questo trambusto, Talas è chiamata a ricostruirsi una vita in un mondo totalmente nuovo, circondata da gente che, nella migliore delle ipotesi, la considera una presenza esotica o che la guarda con disprezzo e sospetto. Sarà interessante vedere quali effetti avrà tutto questo sulla loro relazione. Loro due insieme sono molto carini, vogliono solo farsi una vita tranquilla, senza disturbare nessuno, ma temo che dovranno affrontare vari ostacoli.
Stando alla postfazione, il prossimo volume dovrebbe dedicare un po' più di spazio ai personaggi in Asia Centrale (anche se qui sono stata contenta di vedere l'ex suocera di Talas, che ora sa che la giovane non è morta, ma che è partita) e probabilmente vedremo anche il fantomatico matrimonio tra Henry e Talas in Scozia. Speriamo di non dover aspettare un altro anno...

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I waited SO LONG FOR THIS and it was with the wait!!! 😭

Talas & Henry Smith are easily the couple I’m most invested in so knowing this volume was mainly about them, it made the 2+ year wait for this almost unbearable.

Even that far away, I still remembered most of the characters and their connections. It helped that this one mainly takes place in England so it’s more new characters too.

The story at the end of Ali’s marriage was amazing too! He spent all that time saying he’d go back and get married and then when he’s getting offers he seems a little flummoxed which was funny to see. I love that he ended up with Madina, a childhood friend who actually cares about HIM and not his newfound wealth.

As for Talas and Henry - the only regret in this story for me is that we STILL haven’t got to their marriage. I love that Henry isn’t budging on wanting to marry her, got her a place in the county to raise sheep and their little country life is so sweet it makes me want to cry (I also might just be feeling a little emotional in general but I so wanted to cry seeing them together…)

We really couldn’t expect Mama Smith to be on board but I’m glad his brother is helping and his father isn’t cutting him out. I hope they come around to meet and know her properly even though it’s set in the 19th century and that’s unlikely to happen.

But Henry sticking to his guns is just fantastic. 👌🏽

You know why I think I was so emotional reading this - I forgot how gorgeous the art is. I have taken so many pictures of the panels of Talas. She’s such a beauty and I wanted to save every little bit of this.

I don’t want to wait another 2+ years for more 🥲 but given there’s no volume 16 listed yet… I might cry from the wait I know is ahead of me!!!

[Niniane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bride Stories est l'un des meilleurs mangas que j'ai pu lire et ce tome-ci s'était fait attendre ! On retrouve cette fois l'alliance des deux grandes passions de Kaoru Mori avec l'Asie centrale qui rencontre l'Angleterre victorienne.

C'est tout simplement magnifique. J'ai regardé certaines pages plusieurs fois. Les gens et les animaux sont dessinés avec un grand soin du détail. Kaoru Mori sait vraiment sublimer chaque instant.

[Chiara Rizzarda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could finally finish reading this series after 14 years, as I fortuitously found the issue I was missing.

The tale is splendidly narrated, and it's a wonderful "monogatari" in some of the most genuine ways: different stories of different people are woven together and revolve around the same place. But what will make you fall in love is the drawing, intricate, and hyper-detailed and amazingly delicate.
An omnibus for this series is vastly overdue.

[VKNask · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it as I have loved every book in this series. So glad to have another volume after a fair wait. While I do prefer the silk road settings more, and was filled with anxiety on how our beloved characters would be treated in England, the variety was still interesting. Particularly loved the shipboard cat and the new variety of sheep. Happy to have also seen how our companions Ali and Nikolovski are doing now that Smith has left and they have each returned home.

[Erik B.K.K. · Rating 1 out of 5]

HOT DOCILE PEDO-BAIT TRADWIFE CHICKS IN YOUR AREA

......

More orientalist, misogynist and fetishizing rubbish from Kaoru Mori's gross mind. It's even worse than the worst Naruto fanfiction I read when I was 13. The drawings are getting lazier and lazier too (which is the only reason I still skim the volumes lol).

[Ina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, I could continue reading this great story. As always it is very enjoyable and shows marvellous art. So heartwarming.
I hope this will be published in German or at least in English soon, as that is easier for me to read.

I just read, that the series found a new publisher in Japan, so I hope its future releases will come more regularly.

[Brenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent addition to the series. Talas and Smith aren't my favorites, bit this was a very sweet entry with them trying g to adjust to living in England and what that would be like as someone from a different culture in the mid 1800s. I liked that they showed Ali and his marriage as well and snippets from Central Asia.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing I always struggle with manga is that as the story continues it seems to lose steam. Not so in this case. I loved this story and this volume was lovely. I like that even though the author is filling out a bit of an idealized story, she doesn't ignore the politics of the time. I just wish we hadn't been left with such a cliffhanger. 😅

[Klinton Saha · Rating 4 out of 5]

এই পর্বে স্মিথ তালাসকে ইংল্যান্ডে নিয়ে আসে । কিন্তু স্মিথ পরিবার তালাসকে মেনে নেয় না। স্মিথ তালাসকে নিয়ে অন্যত্র বাস করতে থাকে। ইংল্যান্ডে বিয়ে সম্ভব নয় বলে স্কটল্যান্ডে চলে যায়। সাবপ্লট হিসেবে স্মিথের দুই সহচরের পরিবারে ফিরে যাওয়া দেখায়। বিশেষ করে আলীর মদিনার সাথে বিয়ের ঘটনাটি বেশ মজার।

[Mauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, Mori makes even sheep look cute and clever.

[Camille Crak · Rating 5 out of 5]

toujours une IMMENSE fan de cette histoire 💖

[Ctecain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toujours aussi magnifique

[Eressea · Rating 5 out of 5]

怎麼感覺要完結了，陸續在收線？

[Gaby Pinilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sigo enamorada del estilo de dibujo y de la historia

[benedetta ✰ · Rating 5 out of 5]

kaoru mori i’m begging you for my life to have more than one volume every two years i can’t live like this

[Belinda Loves Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this manga so much. Set along the silk road focusing or Turkic cultures and an english photographer named Henry. Kaoru Mori does the most exquisite arwork and the story is just lovely.

[Paulinette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love that series, it's full of little details, and the drawings are so lovely.

[Johan (ヨハン) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. Wholesome. Pure Bliss.
Kaoru Mori’s work is always amazing and this volume continues to confirm that fact. Loved it !

[Louane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ça faisait longtemps !!! Dessins magnifique, histoire qui avance peu mais on prend plaisir à revoir nos persos