Sorry for the lag in coverage of Otoyomegatari.  With manga they often seem to slip between the cracks, even when I’m not super busy on the blogging front.  Somehow there’s just less urgency when it comes to the printed page, which I full realize makes absolutely no sense.  Having a few chapters build up is not the worst thing in the world from a review perspective, though, at least when Mori-sensei is in slice of life mode.  Those chapters are orgasmic to read but often don’t offer much grist for the analytical mill.

These are some pretty meaningful ones, though – especially the last of them, “Unease”.  No mangaka is as skilled at moving between idyll and plot progression as Mori – tone can change at the drop of a hat without it seeming jarring.  The first two chapters here mostly concern the dinner party, and the conclusion of Henry’s visit to the bobby-soxer brides and their harried hubbies.  It’s always amusing watching this quartet, their immaturity so at odds with their living situation to our modern eye.  Layla and Leyli quite take to Talas (I mean, who wouldn’t) – she’s an exotic beauty from the desert and a big-sister type to boot.

The kids manage to pull off the party relatively well, to the immense relief of Sami and Saam (and their parents).  Henry asks to take photographs of everyone, which the girls charmingly refer to as “tiny paintings”.  The big event for them, though, is taking Talas to see the sea for first time.  It’s a bit adventurous as you’d expect – Talas is so green even the saltiness of the water takes her by surprise – but provides a canvas for Mori to once again lay down some stunning art licks.

One does have to wonder, as we pass through these locales, if this is the last time we’ll be seeing these characters.  If indeed Henry’s journey across the land documenting the people he’s met on film is a framing device to wrap up the series, that could certainly be the case (and sad it would be, too).  Nothing I’m reading here makes me doubt my suspicion that this is the case – if anything it strengthens it – and the news from the East has a very climactic feel to it.  There’s been a Russian incursion, apparently, and the locals are avoiding heading in that direction.

As Mr. Smith journeys onward – Nikolovski has decided to stick with him, noting that traveling with Smith and Ali is “enjoyable” – he tells Ali he’ll let the young guide make the call on turning back due to the danger.  But Henry’s heart is with Karluk and Amira, and I find it hard to believe he’d truly turn back if he felt they and their village were in danger (even if that meant going on alone – which Ali and Nikolovski would never let him do).  He also notes that they live near Bukhara – an ancient and historically important city in Uzbekistan – which to my recollection is the first time that location has been specifically referenced (though I could be wrong).

It seems impossible to think Mr. Smith and the main couple won’t meet again before Otoyomegatari ends.  Not only are these the series’ three most important characters, he needs to present Talas to what’s effectively his adoptive family as his bride-to-be.  And if indeed that reunion happens, much less in the midst of a genuinely dramatic and dangerous situation, it’s just hard to imagine where the series could go from there.  That just feels like the climax no matter how you look at it – but it’s starting to seem like we’ll be finding out one way or the other pretty soon.