A Bride’s Story vol. 6

“Action-packed” isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about this series or manga from Kaoru Mori in general.  Yet it’s a fitting description for this volume of “A Bride’s Story as armed conflict breaks out between the people of Amir’s city and her family’s tribe.  After her brother, Azel, and his friends failed to bring Amir back to their tribe so she could be married off again for better grazing land, their father has decided to team up with another tribe, the Badun, to simply take the land they need from those who have it.  The fact that the Badun have a ton of Russian weapons would also imply that this is going to be a fight as brutal as it is swift.  Azel, however, sees this partnership a bit differently and believes that they’ll be stabbed in the back the instant their usefulness is expended.  Given that the look of the Badun’s chief just exudes oily sleaziness, it then becomes a question of when Azel is going to have to take matters into his own hands.

Even if the answer is immediately obvious, it doesn’t mean that this volume is any less satisfying for it.  Mori’s skill with her art and characterization is that even if we know what Azel is ultimately going to do, it’s still compelling to see his inner turmoil laid out on the page.  More impressive is that the mangaka turns out to be pretty capable with the action scenes as well.  The initial assault and shelling of the city is surprising in its suddenness and carnage, shattering the title’s usual quiet intimacy as the men on horseback with guns head into town to finish the job.  There’s also the kind of shifting of the momentum between the sides of this conflict that I like to see in my fights and helps keep things interesting, along with the surprises who lives and dies here.  I’ll admit that the opening story is a bit silly as it focuses on Karluk’s angst over not being manly enough for Amir to stop fussing over him — he’ll have her know he’s “almost thirteen” — and the main story is resolved in a way that feels just a little too pat.  Regardless, this volume is a showcase for how Mori’s talents can overcome the predictable elements of her narrative and produce a thoroughly engrossing reading experience.  As is usual, for her.