Ōoku: The Inner Chambers

This show was really unique—definitely not your average anime. If you are into Japanese culture and traditions, you'll like this show. If you are looking for your classic Isekai, sorry, this is probably not the right show for you. The story takes place in the Edo period of Japan, where a disease killed the majority of men,so now women have taken on all the roles traditionally granted to men. Characters are well designed,especially their personalities; everybody has their own goal in the show and a motive for why they are acting like that (something very rare in most anime). However, be aware that the show becomes very dark,with people being killed, a lot of abuse of power, rape and sex scenes (mostly non-explicit) and so on. The animation is really good;with the only exception of combat scenes,those are quite bad,but this show doesn't revolve around fighting or battle, so there's not much to complain about. I enjoyed the show for two main reasons: 1) Madenokoji, Arikoto: I can see this character really exists in the old Japanese Edo period,like this person has a reason for acting like that,he changes as the show progresses,he has passions and weaknesses even when described as perfect (Arikoto is incredible). 2) I appreciate Japanese culture; I think the Edo period is super fascinating,and this anime did a perfect job, in my opinion, to portray that time,the appreciation for literature and art, and everything that gives this sense of "beauty". Some years ago I read this book, "In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom," by Ango Sakaguchi. He described two different types of beauty: one from "nature," which man cannot understand and never reaches, and the second, "artificial," made by men to imitate nature. This show is a prime example of that second one.

Feels like something that would be much more enjoyable if you are familiar with the source material. Watched this because someone online said Miyano’s acting was really good in it. And it was. The acting is great. The animation is good. Only a few scenes had that obvious CGI that takes you out of it. Very much a Josei. That’s the audience it’s made for. Not probably going to like it if you really don’t jive with Josei. It falls into that common alternate history trope where the characters are written more like historical figures than like fictional characters. They grow and change but not ina way that’s really in service of a character arc. Things just happen to them and they have to respond. The world isn’t shaped to facilitate rewarding payoffs and character moments. And the narrative is very focused on the progression of history. This works great if you’re primarily invested in the lore, but not as much if you are really getting invested in the characters. Not really spoilers, but the premise is that a plague that only effects men has decimated the male population, forcing women to take up male roles including that of the Shogun. The first episode takes place well into this era, and even though you know what kicked it off, it’s not entirely why things are presently the way they are. It’s an interesting stand alone story. The remainder of the series goes more into how things got here and it sufficiently explains it. Sometimes it over explains but that could be due to condensing the source material. Netflix flagged it for nudity but I think it’s only because of a fisherwoman in traditional fishing attire that shows up once. The sexual violence tag is the one to take seriously. Little is actually shown but it is really clear what will/has taken place, and this could be a big issue for some viewers. They really should’ve flagged it for violence and gore too instead of “smoking”. Lot more katana action than smoking. It’s been called feminist but it’s not really pushing an agenda here. Things suck so much for men and women in this story and we see both men and women inflict pretty brutal stuff on the other sex. It outright states that the new status of men isn’t really anything like that of women previously, so it’s really not direct commentary. It just asks a lot of questions and leaves it up to the viewer. It can be very sympathetic to the unique struggles of both sexes.

Recommended for viewers in need of a fresh story, lacking in tropes and recycled content. (Don't be put off by the "josei" tag", I nearly missed it because of that) The last 15 or so years of the anime industry have been very heavy and insistant on the same story, art and characters, the same technique has been so overused that the line between so many series becomes blurred in the eyes of a viewer that has grown up with the classics, is certainly grown tired of the same droppings, different season, and has a solid base for comparison. The factors for that are many, buta major one to mention is the very basic consupmtion = demand = production correlation, so naturaly at some point quantity inevitably overwhelms quality, as in many other products on the market. It's like authors and producers saw a collosal "Unsubscribe from creativity" button and agreed to hit it for good, truly a tragic story for another time and place. So, anyone who glorifies anime like CSM or Tokyo Revengers, please leave now and take your cry-me-a-river-no-jutsu along, as either: too young/uneducated/biased; or brain cell count is too low to understand why Oooku is actually good! (I'll gratefully take your confused or funny ratings instead). The story and the characters are not what you would call the buttercream of sophistication but both are multi-dimensional, have various depths, and progress proportionally. Even in a fictional setting, what is done exceptionally well here, and what constitutes the majority of my high appraisal, is the feel of reallity and relatability, where people are both strong and weak at the same time, have morals but also ignore them for the sake of something more important to them, fight to prevail but submit to the more powerful person or situatuon, each has their own motivation, convictions and goal but none is set in stone, and undergoes changes, and while each carries their own trauma and burden, none of those become the driving force behind their actions. In the end of the day it's just a fictional story and there's so much reality one can expect and demand, but if you've seen enough chosen-ones or 10 year-olds saving the world, regardless how exciting it is, you're bound to yearn for some adults adulting adult stuff, and no, not necessarily erotic (which was by the way nicely included in this gem). If "reason" is your thing, you'll find it here, so there... What you will not see the character do here is: being over-dramatic/aggressive/stupid/naive/stubborn/the epitome of good or evil. There is no one true "hero" and his respective "antagonist" counterpart, characters are not black versus white, they are sometimes influenced by others, or inspired, think on their own and make decisions, mistakes, learn, grow and change. Males do not fall under one of two classic categories: 1.macho/hero or 2.wimp/incompetent, and neither do the females, respectively: 1.tomboy/over-energetic or 2.damsel in permanent distress/can't think, can't walk or run without tripping and falling. Complaints are thrown around about the time setting and how it doesn't live up to period dramas, as well as how historically accurate it is or isn't, but was that really the point, and is it really that important? While the When and Where the action takes places does inevitably dictate some narrative, it feels like much less of a centre piece and more of a plot device. The premise is an interesting one, in the same way anime with their own unique worlds have charmed us before, an excellent food for thought and brain excercise in my opinion. Of course it's levels away from being perfect, but serves its role for the development of the story flawlessly. Not to mention what a breath of freshness is the break from school, isekai, harem/ecchi, teenagers overflooded themes/settings. The ending is really well-rounded, considering the anime doesn't cover even half the manga. You can leave it at that and still have a great, satisfactory, no-bull, completed story with an open to interpretation ending. And considering how little was covered from the manga, plenty of room was left to expand for more seasons, or even your own imagination. I found a very fulfilling balance in the execution, characters, story and development, setting, and overall was around the 8-9/10 mark, but plot holes, unexplained things and few bits and pieces here and there dropped a point (based purely on objective and constructive critisim, and by no means on enjoyment), which will not stop me from picking up the manga in the future.