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Bride of the Death God is one of the those manga series where it seems like new bits of lore and ties between characters seem to come up in each volume, and the third is no exception. In fact, I’d almost say volume 3 is the most egregious offender. While the first one sets up Aibi and the shinigami Shii as flawed individuals and establishes her curse and the second almost feels like it sets up a Revolutionary Girl Utena sort of Rose Bride duel with its fight for the Bouquet Syndrome bride between death gods, this one adds new complications by introducing new connections between “Aibi” and different reapers.
Editor’s Note: There will be some spoilers for volume 3 of the Bride of the Death God manga below.
The first past life suggestion we’ve seen in Bride of the Death God already came up in previous volumes. Since the series started, there have been occasional Shii flashbacks that suggest he knew a past incarnation of Aibi when he was alive. It also seems to imply the two were in a romantic relationship, possibly even getting married. This, coupled with the relationship we’ve seen developing between the two in these current lives, help provide even more motivation as to why he’s so committed to protecting and being with her and she’s supportive of and assisting him.
However, the wrench in the process comes once we start seeing the fight between Kei, the shinigami who abducted Aibi as part of the Bouquet Bride competition, and Shii and his allies the fellow reaper Inia and Aibi’s classmate Matsuba. This is because, once she rejects him and strikes back with Shii, we see a flashback to Kei’s life as a human named Azami. And, sure enough, he was deeply connected to her past incarnation Koume when he was alive, and the memory of the thistle helps bring that back. In addition to reinforcing the importance of reincarnation for the series, it’s also suggesting that the reapers we’ll see competing for the Bouquet Bride all had some connection to her in life.
It even continues with Inia. While she’s established as an ally to Shii, Matsuba, and Aibi early on, this third volume of Bride of the Death God explains why. And, you guessed it, she knew her too. They had a connection when both were alive in the past. It only came back to Inia when she happened upon Aibi in this lifetime and, before she could strike to “take” the bride for herself, she heard her mentioning a zinnia flower. Which, it turns out, was important between the two back then.
As expected from a series with a competition and people dueling for the Bouquet Bride’s power, volume 3 of Bride of the Death God ends with hints as to the next challenge. In this case, it means another reaper. Given the way things have gone so far, it could mean new insights into another person’s past with one of Aibi’s former selves and even more background into how this series’ world works.
Constant lore additions and new Bouquet Bride death god competitors are a lot to take in throughout Bride of the Death God, and the past lives element makes it even more complex. Especially given we see two more “pasts” introduced alongside the shared references to Aibi’s connection to Shii-kun and a third potential one appears at the end of volume 3. It’s a lot of twists to toss in, and I hope it stays manageable and not too overwhelming.
Volumes 1-3 of the Bride of the Death God manga are available now, and Square Enix hasn’t set a release date for the fourth one yet.
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