Oooku: The Inner Chambers

Medieval Japan has been struck by a disease that only affects young males, causing the male population to plummet to 25%. Society shifts to a new normal where women must take up all the duties and the men are hidden and protected. The Shogunate, not bereft from this, is also forced to appoint a female shogun. "Ooku: The Inner Chambers" is a reimagining of Japanese history in which women held the reigns instead, following the Tokugawa Shoguns and the Inner Chambers over the course of several centuries. Originally intended to be the harem for a male shogun, the Inner Chambers now house about a thousand menof all ranks and status for the shogun's picking. The characters in Ooku are its greatest strength: they will make you laugh, rage, swoon, and cry (a lot). As someone with little experience with Shojo manga, I was pleasantly surprised by the delicacy and depth of the characters and their interactions. They have a richness that will make you fall in love with them. The manga offers a glimpse into the lives of not just the shoguns and nobles, but people of all walks of life, making for a captivating read. Ooku doesn't shy away from portraying the flaws of its characters, only to develop them in a way that evokes such a strong sense of attachment that you rejoice and weep when they do. Ooku is a series that spans around 300 years and doesn't hesitate to move on from its beautifully developed characters, replacing them with a cast just as good, if not better, time and time again. We see how people conspire to bring about the most heinous plots, but also the feats that people can achieve when they work together with the support of capable leaders. We see the beauty of love but also the pain of unrealised dreams. The series explores themes like politics, love, gender roles, sexuality, intrigue, and tragedy. It's quite verbose and while the script is written in Old English to reflect the period, the dialogue is captivating and keeps you engaged. The series focuses on the clothing of its characters quite intently and possesses a gorgeous artstyle to display the various fashion trends through the years. One of the things that disappoints me in some series is a mediocre climax, but I'm happy to say that Ooku avoids this pitfall. Without giving spoilers, the manga ends with a satisfying conclusion that perfectly encapsulates the epic journey of the series and leaves you wanting more. Ooku reminded me of Rakugo and House of Five Leaves, and fans of those series will definitely enjoy the setting and characters in Ooku. Overall, Ooku is a fantastic series that explores a range of themes with fascinating characters and a fulfilling ending. It's a shame that it's so underread, and I strongly recommend giving it a chance.

The premise of this manga is an interesting one. I'm all for viewing events from different angles. At first, I thought it might be a story about female empowerment. Which it certainly is to some extend, but also a tale of tragedies, helpessness and finding a place somwhere you never thought had a space for you. You get to see the views and perspectives of men from all walks of life who end up in the inner chambers for one reason or another. But also the women who, after being left with every task rise up to the occasion. Peppered with the obligatory intrigues, anda whole lot of different heartbreak. The chapters are quite long, however, which I didn't know beforehand. I thought, "oh, 79 chapters, that's not a lot." Well, it can be, so mind that when you start reading. Having read the manga in its entirety, I'm glad for their length. It added to the whole chronic-like feeling. Reading the last two chapters of this manga was like letting go of a confidant that I accompanied through the different stages of their life.

The premise of this series is a role reversal. Basically, a red pox disease plagues all of Japan and reduces the male population so that women outnumbered men from 5 to 1. This resulted in a change where women started taking on male jobs, which shifted society. Even the Shogun was a woman, because there simply wasn't a man who lived long enough to take the reigns. Instead of a harem of women, we now have a harem of men. The Ooku, the Inner Chambers within the palace, boasts hundreds of men that are available for the Shogun to use(though the rumor falsely says over 3,000). Though don't be squicked by that, because Ooku doesn't really feel like a reverse harem, for the most part. The series does focus on romance and relationships, but the main thing is the disease and the politics. The heartbreaking stories, the interesting premise, etc. There's so much pain and love. You have the different people suffering from non-consensual incest, unrequited love, star crossed lovers, infertility, cruel grandmothers, poisonings, etc. Though you also have the heart warming stories of true love amist all the pain and chaos. That's what makes Ooku a masterpiece, with how it balances everything out to craft a great story. They also talk about the issues of gender. It's a prevalent theme with some commoners resenting the Shogun for "hoarding" men, and the fear of invasion because women are weaker than men on average. How the roles are reversed, and the men are practically house husbands that are used for breeding. Men being forced to sell themselves, and only wealthy women being able to have a man to herself. Though once again, it's not as it seems. If you think this is the ultimate girl boss manga, you'd be right and wrong. Sure, some of the women in the series are brilliant and/or compassionate. Though some of them are legitimately terrible and gross people, and some are incompetent. What I'm saying is, you have the good with the bad. Which is both a strength and a weakness. That is to say, I still consider Ooku to be a masterpiece. Though I will say this... One of the good and bad things was the inverse of Monster of the Week. It was "protagonist of the week", which did lead to some heartbreaking stories. Though it also taught you not to get too attached to characters, because it's the span of 300 years, so obviously the character is going to change. I will say that they did a great job of easing you into certain character changes. Keeping some familiar faces around as they introduce new characters, and folding them into the plot and story so we get accustomed to them. So even the one flaw, is also a strength! Once again, this series is a masterpiece. 10/10, I would definitely recommend.