Suijin no Hanayome (水神の生贄〈はなよめ〉, The Water Dragon's Bride) is a Japanese shōjo manga by Rei Toma which was serialized in Shogakukan's Cheese! and is licensed in North America by Viz Media.
Synopsis[]
A young boy named Subaru comes to Asahi’s aid, but despite his help, Asahi must endure a test of survival! Will she be able to make it out alive, or will she end up being sacrificed?
(Source: Viz Media)
Bibliographic Information[]
Toma began the manga in Shogakukan's shōjo manga magazine, Cheese! on February 24, 2015. Viz Media announced during their Anime Expo 2016 panel that they have licensed the manga.
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | North America release date | North America ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 26, 2015 | 978-4-09-137727-2 | April 4, 2017 | 978-1-4215-9255-8 |
| 2 | December 25, 2015 | 978-4-09-138046-3 | July 4, 2017 | 978-1-4215-9256-5 |
| 3 | April 26, 2016 | 978-4-09-138452-2 | October 3, 2017 | 978-1-4215-9257-2 |
| 4 | September 26, 2016 | 978-4-09-138579-6 | January 2, 2018 | 978-1-4215-9507-8 |
| 5 | January 26, 2017 | 978-4-09-139130-8 | April 3, 2018 | 978-1-4215-9655-6 |
| 6 | May 26, 2017 | 978-4-09-139179-7 | July 3, 2018 | 978-1-4215-9858-1 |
| 7 | September 26, 2017 | 978-4-09-139499-6 | October 2, 2018 | 978-1-9747-0187-2 |
| 8 | January 26, 2018 | 978-4-09-139873-4 | January 1, 2019 | 978-1-9747-0228-2 |
| 9 | May 25, 2018 | 978-4-09-870077-6 | April 2, 2019 | 978-1-9747-0562-7 |
| 10 | September 26, 2018 | 978-4-09-870157-5 | July 2, 2019 | 978-1-9747-0503-0 |
| 11 | January 25, 2019 | 978-4-09-870256-5 | November 5, 2019 | 978-1-9747-0958-8 |
Character[]
A modern-day young girl, Asahi, who was leading a peaceful life with her kind parents, was suddenly sucked into a pond in their garden. As she peeked out of the water to take a breath, her eyes caught a sight she had never seen before. Thinking she was lost, she wandered through the forest until she was rescued by a young boy named Subaru from a nearby mura village, who promised to treat her as his daughter until a home could be found for her. However, that night, Asahi is taken to a lake in the forest and forced to participate in a strange ritual, where she is drowned in the lake as a "bride-sacrifice" for the water god.
The water god, who has offered a strange young girl of a different color than before, speaks a strange language (pedophile, cosplay, etc.) and steals the "voice" from Asahi, who insists that she will not become his wife, she asks if he is a "pervert or a molester" and promises to return it when the young Asahi is old enough to become his bride. Water God, who has been searching for Asahi, is reunited with Arisayo due to the whim of the water god, and brings her back to the village overcoming obstacles. When Asahi is discovered by the villagers, she is punished by being thrown into boiling water and severely burned as a result.
The water god appears to Asahi, who is in pain. Asahi unintentionally strikes the water god, but the water god enjoys the unexpected reaction, heals Asahi's burns, and gives her the power to make it rain when she cries. Sadness and inconsolability cause her tears to flow, the village is flooded, and the villagers come to fear her. Asahi, who has a heart-to-heart talk with Water God, strongly decides to live in this world, believing that one day she will be able to return home. Not too long after the beginning of the story, there is a few year time skip, where she is a pre-teen or so. At the end of the series, she is still a minor at a high school age when she becomes officially engaged to become the water god's bride. She returns home on two different occasions.
Abilities[]
"People cannot wield the power of a God, however...Each person has the ability to reach out and help one another. Rather than relying on a power you can't see, help the people around you in need, with your own two hands. If each of us held out a hand for someone in need, it would be enough."
― Asahi Arisa
She is a energetic and kind girl, even has a composure in every situations. After being "bride (sacrifice) ceremony", she meet the Water God and offered become his wife. Asahi becomes the water-priestess, when she is supposedly under the "protection" of the water dragon god. This protection she gained by the water god, she can called rain by crying says it "Stole her ability to cry alone".
Companion (Husband)
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Water God (水の神, Mizu no Kami)
Described as being at least 1,000 years old, the Water God is disinterested in human affairs. He is often cruel without meaning to, such as watching Asahi starve to death for 3 days straight in his domain because he had no idea humans needed to eat, or taking her voice away as punishment and never returning it to her until she was about 14. However, it is noted that all the gods seem to have some grasp on human emotions, making him the only one who is like this. However, as he begins to get involved in Asahi's life, he becomes more and more human to his surprise. He gives her the power to summon rain when she cries. |
"The only hands that I can offer your highness...are my own two hands. The hands of the water god are not hands that you can take hold of."
― Asahi Arisa to the Emperor
As connected of the water god, by combining both water god and her can completely control the domain of water, it can used for healing, applying a barrier created in water, creating a illusion or even creating a mirror that can overlook of what happening in a certain place. Not too long after the beginning of the story, there is a few year time skip, where Asahi is a pre-teen or so, she became more beautiful as angel. And thus many of her opposite sex, charmed in her natural beauty and consisting winning her heart.
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Reception[]
On average, The Water Dragon's Bride is often thought to be the least popular series by the author. The age gap between the child and god- and the fact that he somewhat raised her since then- can be problematic for many readers. The series also suffers from the pacing. Many of the problems are either immediately dealt with because of the Water God's interference or they are never addressed again in the series. The main protagonist almost never solves anything on her own merit because of this, so she is often reduced to crying and being saved by another character just in time. There is also little to no substance in the world building or characters that readers sometimes believe that they have no reason to care in depth about them.
The ending is also seen as controversial. Asahi is returned to her world as the Water Dragon God is dying from sharing his power with her. He becomes droplets of water, and the other gods, including the god of darkness, who was introduced late as an enemy, allow him to go to the real world as well. However, he is sent to the past of the real world, and he waits thousands of years in a body of water until Asahi is born. It is later revealed that the series becomes a paradox, as it is his own power that dragged Asahi into the pond when she was a child into the first place, leading her to a life of suffering and conflict in order to meet him and fall in love. After she has gone through all that, and is sent back to her world, her brother (who was born while she was missing for years) mentions hearing her voice coming from the pond in their backyard. She runs back and manages to pull out the god, and they agree to be engaged. However, she is wearing a high school uniform, so she is still a minor. Oddly enough, the god is never actually given a name, so she really does just call him "Water God" or Suijin in the original language.
Despite the negative opinions, it tends to have an average score.
External Link[]
- Suijin no Hanayome ─ Official Manga Website at Cheese!
- Suijin no Hanayome ─ Official Manga Website at Viz Media
- Suijin no Hanayome ─ Wikipedia JP
- Suijin no Hanayome ─ Wikipedia EN
Trivia[]
to be added.