History Manga / Otoyomegatari

* ChristmasCake: Invoked and Discussed. Some characters mention Amir being old for a bride (she's married at twenty, in a culture where it's not unusual for girls to get married and have children in their early teens), especially considering the eight-year age gap between her and Karluk.

* ChristmasCake: Invoked and Discussed. Some characters mention Amir being old for a bride (she's married at 20 in a culture where it's not unusual for girls to get married and have children in their early teens), especially considering the 8 year age gap between her and Karluk.

* YouAllShareMyStory: The "Young Bride" differs with every story arc. It started with Amir, then Talas, and then the twins Layla and Leyli.

* ChristmasCake: Invoked and Discussed. Some characters mention Amir being old for a bride (she's married at 20), especially considering the age gap between her and Karluk.

Published in English by Yen Press as ''A Bride's Story'' in larger-than-usual hardcover volumes to show off Mori's artwork.

* MayDecemberRomance: Nowadays, the marriage of Amir (20) and Karluk (12) would likely be considered this (if not outright {{squick}} given Karluk's age). For the setting, though, it's rather fitting... only gender-flipped.

** And when Azel's father doesn't get the warning, she [[spoiler:''[[ShootTheDog kills him personally]]'', even though he's Amir's father.]]

* CourtlyLove: Amir and Karluk out of the very simple necessity of Karluk only being twelve. Also Smith and Talas, since he is a gentleman and she a widow from a completely different culture.

* DoingItForTheArt: Aside from the aforementioned CostumePorn, many things are also incredibly detailed. Chapter 2 is mostly devoted to showcasing Kaoru Mori's painstakingly drawn rendition of traditional carvings.
* DoubleInLawMarriage: Deliberately invoked by the twins' father, who would prefer to get them both off his hands at the same time, therefore marries them to a pair of brothers.

* EyePatchOfPower: Amir's father wears one.

* ChristmasCake: Invoked and Discussed. A few people in-story mention Amir as being old for marriage (she's 20 when we meet her), especially considering the age gap between her and Karluk.
** A bit of [[TruthInTelevision Truth in Manga]] as well, since girls were traditionally married off very young (sometimes even around their first period) in many Asian cultures.

* AbsurdlyYouthfulMother: Karluk's sister Seleke is only a handful of years older than Amir but already has ''four'' children, the eldest of whom is about nine years old. Then again, it wasn't uncommon in her culture for girls to marry and become pregnant in their early teens. Even so, Seleke does not ''look'' like she's had four children.

** And when Azul's father doesn't get the warning, she [[spoiler:''[[ShootTheDog kills him personally]]'', even though he's Amir's father.]]

* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Karluk is much calmer than Amir is. Laila and Leily are as HotBlooded as their husbands Sarmaan and Farsami [[TheStoic are not.]]

* {{Tsundere}}: Pariya, since she is naturally awkward and used to being disliked by everyone for her outspokenness, blushes furiously when she meets a suitor but then starts shouting at him the next minute.

** Chapter 33 drives the point firmly home when she [[spoiler:takes out the enemy commander single-handed]].

Set on the Silk Road that connected Asia with Europe before the modern times, it is the SliceOfLife story of Amir, a nomadic tribeswoman skilled in archery and horsemanship, who is sent to marry Karluk, a boy from another village who is eight years younger than her. But all is not well, political unrest is brewing and her family decides to take her back...

** Chapter 33 drives the point firmly home when she [[spoilers:takes out the enemy commander single-handed]].

* AcceptableBreaksFromReality: A minor one, lampshaded in the afterword of the second book; getting a lot of bricks dumped over your head will still kill you, even if the bricks are only made from mud and sun-dried (not fired in a kiln).

* AloofBigBrother: Azel to Amir. And like her, he's a [[TallDarkAndHandsome gorgeous]] {{badass}} archer to boot.

* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:Karluk in chapter 8.]] Arguably his CrowningMomentOfAwesome as well.

* FoodPorn: In chapter 16, Mori applies her prodigious talents to all manner of food in the market, and the characters literally spend the entire chapter looking for the best food and then finally eating it in an impromptu feast. You probably should not read it while hungry.

** Already foreshadowed from chapter 30 onwards, when Amir's tribe ally themselves with the Russian-aligned Batan tribe in order to raze Karluk's town, seize their land and get Amir back. Due to their links with the Russians, the Batan have ample Russian weaponry, which they promise to place at the Halgals' disposal. In the ensuing battle, [[spoiler:the Batan betray the Halgals, seeking to seize the town and get rid of their "allies" at the same time. No doubt the Batan are doing the Russians' dirty work for them.]] Even if Karluk's hometown prevails, it, and the whole region, will eventually be annexed by the Russian Empire.

* PhenotypeStereotype: Mr. Smith and the English woman sent to deliver him letters in chapter 10 are both blond. The fact that they were both English also led some locals to believe they at least knew each other.

* RealityEnsues: In book three, [[spoiler:Smith and Talas' sudden engagement seems to be going along the usual romantic rails, until chapter 17. The entire chapter makes it abundantly clear how unrealistic it actually was due to the cultural differences and family ties.]]
* RelationshipUpgrade: While Karluk and Amir are already married at the start of the story, it isn't until Karluk's BigDamnHeroes moment in chapter 8 that Amir moves away from being more of a CoolBigSis to Karluk and starts to see him romantically and act like a smitten young woman (and awkwardly so).

* SheCleansUpNicely: The twins and their respective grooms have mutual moments of this in chapter 25 when they see each other in their marriage getups.
* ShirtlessScene: Azel spends most of chapter 29 wandering around shirtless after saving a foal from the river. [[{{Fanservice}} Completely relevant to the plot, of course]]...

** The twins Layla and Leyli could count as this as well. They swim, dive, fish and climb trees on their own. And they're physically strong enough to knock a man unconcious with a fish. And they were quite averse to tehir mother's lessons on domestic chores and crafts.

** There are straight examples, however. The patterns on Saahman's and Farsahmi's clothes in chapter 21, for example, are the same size in every frame, even if perspective and distance should make them appear smaller. These are mostly done for simpler patterns, however, as the more complex ones are the ones that get more lavish attention.

* [[WhenSheSmiles When He Smiles]]: The ecstatic smiles on Saahman's and Farsahmi's faces (which normally show either sarcasm or exasperation) at the end of their marriage reception in chapter 26 actually stun the normally loud twins, now their wives, into silence.

* CoolOldLady: Karluk's grandmother, Balkirsh, who drives off hostile visitors with a bow and rides a goat up a cliff to rescue a child. After the latter side-story, she's explicitly dubbed the coolest and strongest woman in the manga!

* CulturalPosturing: Possibly crossed with MuggingTheMonster. At least some of the nomads seem to find the Russian newcomers as little more than savages from the borderlands. [[ForegoneConclusion Yeah]], [[ImperialRussia about that]]...

Set on the Silk Road that connected Asia with Europe before the modern times, it is the story of Amir, a nomadic woman skilled in archery and horsemanship, who is sent to marry Karluk, a boy from another village who is eight years younger than her. But all is not well, as her family decides to take her back...

As with all of Mori's works, the art and attention to detail is extensive, although Mori can put more effort with less pressure into this particular work, since it is a bimonthly publication.

* ForegoneConclusion: Not with the story itself, but the setting. In less than 30 years[[hottip:*: We don't have any concrete evidence as to ''exactly'' what years the story covers]], the Russians will move in, annex the area to their Empire, and start a long period of Russification. The nomads will be made to settle down and/or be forcibly relocated somewhere much less pleasant. The Aral Sea – featured prominently in the Twins' Story – will dry up and disappear from severe misuse, turning the entire area into an inhospitable desert (even more than it historically was).

* UnmovingPlaid: Averted. Not only does Mori draw the patterns on their dresses, she draws it slightly differently between different panels[[hottip:*: she redraws it every single time a pattern is used, even when the pattern reappears ''three panels under the first instance''.]].

* RavenHairIvorySkin: Amir in particular, and quite possibly her sister and mother-in-law.

* PluckyComicRelief: Karluk's [[CheerfulChild niece and nephews]], [[FunnyForeigner Smith]], and [[ClockPunchVillain Joruk]].

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Amira or Amir? The official English translation went with Amir. This applies to a lot of the names due to the ''huge'' disconnect between Japanese and Turkic languages.