The Fall 2024 Manga Guide

The Barbarian's Bride

What's It About? 

Serafina de Lavillant, the strongest female knight in the West, was sent to subjugate the barbaric tribes of the East. But when her mission fails spectacularly, she's captured alive and imprisoned. Humiliated and dreading what horrific torture she'll endure, she asks to be put to death. To her surprise, rather than tearing her limb from limb, the tribe leader asks for her hand…in marriage! Will Serafina face a cruel and abusive arranged marriage? Or will she discover that these tribes aren't as barbaric as she was led to believe?

The Barbarian's Bride has a story and art by Noriaki Kotoba, with English translation by Ella Donaldson. This volume was lettered by Rai Enril. Published by Seven Seas (October 1, 2024.)

Is It Worth Reading?

I want to get the stuff I didn't like out of the way; The Barbarian's Bride has a few scenes where protagonist Serafina's imagination runs away with her and imagines herself assaulted or even ritualistically murdered by the barbarians she's captured by. It's just a joke, but it's just a bit off-putting.

And that's about it! This manga is based on an earlier concept from mangaka Noriaki Kotoba which was a bit more upfront about his “proclivities”, but we aren't about to judge a guy for that. The basic concept of Serafina thinking the absolute worst about Raisei and his fellow “barbarians” only to find their society is far more structured (if not far more egalitarian) than what she's used to back home is fascinating, especially since it's fairly true to history. Time and again, unconquered nations were lambasted as “uncultured” or “barbaric” by empires (see: Rome and the Picts or the Goths, or Europe at large with the Moors). On the other hand, these “barbaric” peoples boasted rich cultures of their own, with traditions that were likely what we today would consider far more equal for men and women. A great example would be Serafina being confused at Raisei's people's concern over cleanliness and using perfume (however intentional or not, it's a good nod towards medieval Europe's lack of hygiene concern).

Some of the best moments in Barbarian's Bride come from Serafina discovering the affability of Raisei's people. Where Serafina's kingdom clashes with the “barbarians” over land disputes (the Eastern lands are coveted for their fertile soil), the barbarians nevertheless respect the imperial knights for their strength and courage on the battlefield. Where Serafina expects the “barbarians” to resent her for killing so many of their kinfolk, the “barbarians” actually hold her strength in high regard (turns out, if Raisei didn't try to court her, a lot of his clansmen would've leaped at the chance). Where Serafina would've expected the “barbarians” to seek revenge, Raisei's people have a very practical relationship towards death, given the great dangers warriors are expected to live through; they resent her no more than they'd resent a dragon that crippled one of their hunters.

There are a lot of places where Barbarian's Bride could've felt gross or exploitative. And yet, great care is taken when depicting either Serafina's or Raisei's people. This manga is off to a pretty auspicious start, I can see the historically-minded getting a lot out of this. Recommended.

I think the moment I will remember most in The Barbarian's Bride was when the captive knight Seraphina woke up next to the barbarian Veor, took one look at his morning wood, and scrambled away. After my initial surprise at seeing a barely-censored phallus in a shonen manga, I said, “Good for him.” And then, “Good for her?”

The story of The Barbarian's Bride is a staple of romance novels; when I did an internet search for the title, I had to sort it out from an actual romance novel called Barbarian's Bride. The knight Seraphina is feared for her power in her country's fight against barbarians but gets herself captured by the enemy. She expects to be starved, tortured, or executed as a prisoner of war; instead, they clean her up, feed her, and tell her that she is to marry Veor, the leader of the barbarians. Naturally, she expects the worst, but it turns out that Veor is actually quite kind. Could it be that her captivity will turn to… love?

Like many romance novel concepts, it's somewhat fraught. While Veor is a decent fellow, too much of the humor revolves around Seraphina's fear that he's going to rape her. He wouldn't, of course, but I don't blame her for having a hard time trusting him when they've literally put a collar on her and are forcing her to marry the enemy. While Seraphina is the POV character, her fear of being the object of mockery is discomfiting, to say the least.

If you can manage to shove that discomfort away, or if you're the kind of person who enjoys it (no judgment here, I promise), you'll probably have fun! There's a genuine sense of wonder as Seraphina learns that the people she always thought of as “barbarians” simply lead a different kind of life, enriched by community and abundant natural resources, but also have struggles of their own. Veor is quite the hunk himself, especially after he shaves his beard – and I know some of you will disagree with me, but I'm with Seraphina on this one. Noriaki Kotoba brings the world to life with his unique art style, his action enhanced by thick, bold lines and effective use of light and dark.

The Barbarian's Bride feels like a qualified recommendation – if it sounds like something in your wheelhouse, I say go for it. But if you're sensitive to issues around consent, tread cautiously.