I recently referred to Otoyomegatari as “the best manga on the planet right now”.  And while I never actually sat down and set out to identify what series that was, when the topic of manga came up it’s the only one that came to mind.  Factoring in everything – art, storyline, characters, and hiatuses – A Bride’s Story is atop the pyramid for me.

A lot of virtual ink has been spilled here and elsewhere about the possibility of an Otoyomegatari anime adaptation – why it should happen, why it might not – so we don’t really need to rehash all that now.  But does the fact that other prestige titles, even ones with strong manga sales like Arslan Senki and Golden Kamuy, tend to get low-budget adaptations offer a cautionary note?  You betcha – and while I’m very glad to have those anime as opposed to not having any adaptations at all, the visuals in Otoyomegatari are so sublime that one does pale a bit at the idea of an anime that doesn’t at least try to do them justice.  Me?  I’d still take it, and take my chances.  Will it happen?  Who knows.

With these latest two chapters, we see two very different faces of Mori-sensei as a writer.  She gives us a story-intensive update on the Henry Smith saga (one of the most plot-heavy chapters in the series, in fact) and then follows that up with one of her “diary” chapters.  This time it’s a few days in the life of Amir as winter sets in, and as always when Mori goes this route, it’s superb.  One gets the sense that while she’s great at almost every type of storytelling, this is the sort that comes easiest for her.  It could hardly feel more natural than it does.

The Smith chapter is the one that seems crucial to the future of the series, though.  He’s arrived in Ankara with Ali, and finally meets up with his old friend Hawking – who promptly tells him he’s sent a man called Nikolovski (presumably a Russian – hmm) to find him.  The two have missed each other on the road, and Hawking immediately (after serving tea – they are Englishmen after all) lectures Smith about the dangers of the coming war, and insists he return home before it starts.  But Smith won’t be dissuaded, even at the potential cost of his own life – for him documenting this land and its people and history is a calling.  And if war is coming, that just steels his resolve to get the job done before it becomes impossible – especially now that he has the opportunity to use a modern camera to help him.

If all that weren’t incentive enough to stay, the stunning arrival of Talas certainly ups the ante.  She’s come to Ankara in search of Smith, with whom she’s clearly in love.  And she’s come in the company of her husband – a man who’s only come with her to help her find the man she truly loves.  What a remarkable fellow he seems to be – at seeing how distraught Talas was at marrying him, he wanted no part of forcing himself on her.  Not only that, he agreed to accompany her on a dangerous journey to find the man she loved.  When Smith asks him why he would do such a thing, his answer – “Wouldn’t you?  A chance to help a woman find her happiness, especially with things going the way they are?” – is a stunning exhibition of empathy and sheer human decency.

I don’t see how Henry can run away from his feelings for Talas now, especially since her husband has decided to tell everyone she died and give her the freedom to do what she desires (seriously – what a fucking guy).  But perversely, I wonder if Talas’ arrival might make Smith more likely to return to England – it’s not only his own safety (and Ali’s, though he’s more than capable of making his own decisions) he has to think about now.  And he has something to want to live for besides his work.   Talas will resist that, surely, as the last thing she’ll want to do is stand between Smith and his calling – but his future just got a lot more complicated.