When it comes to either anime or manga art, the fact is that most of it simply is not really very good. Unwillingness to challenge industry standards, either the need to rush works out or just plain laziness, and sometimes a lack of talent. There are also always going to be exceptions to this rule, both of the absurdly detailed kind, such as Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind (manga version), or sometimes a simpler yet extremely well crafted attempt at cuddly charm, such as Dragonball. This manga is indisputably in the spirit of the former, erring at all times toward ridiculous levels of detail.

With its focus on intricately ornamental clothing, shades of say Paradise Kiss, you can tell right away that this work will have some obsession with detail, but with Otoyomegatari it permeates every part of the work, not just some singular aspects. The patterns and shading displayed on ch. 2, p. 6-7 show early on how seriously the creator enjoys creating patterns everywhere she can, architecture, food, et cetera.

The settings are often very intricate, in everything from architectural ornamentation, foliage, or the houses of a city. They are not clearly drawn in every frame, especially if they were already just clearly drawn, but it is not skimped on enough to really bother. Often inside the houses the angle is very rectangular and maybe a little boring, but it is always set to show off new details, so it is not really boring.

The character art is fairly typical in basic style (triangular faces, super huge glassy eyes), but the details in the hair and clothing are phenomenal. Even throwaway, ordinary characters can look splendid due to how crisp and clean the shading is, with the contrast making the characters stand out from settings so well.

As to the story, I may as well come out right away and say I despise slice of life, I really do. I would say that this gets a good deal into that, and it still manages to be charming and convincing. It is not really my thing, which is why I rated the story and character aspects down to an 8, but like Victorian Romance Emma, everything is gentle, unassuming, and never especially trying to thrust in one's face how charming it is. It simply is charming and that is enough. Most of the romance and banter are interesting and fun to entertain. The action parts are not exactly a strong suit for this work, but I think that they are perfectly acceptable as a vehicle to move plot along.

All in all, this is a work with incredible art, a little bit of whimsy, and a pretty clear sense of what it is trying to accomplish by existing. It is kind of hard for me to communicate what I see in the art, but if I have any point I feel I can slam clearly home, it is that the detail is incredible, clear, and at the very least looking at for a bit.