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大奥 [Ōoku] #19
Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 19
The new government of Japan is determined to not only end the reign of the shoguns but erase any mention of the generations of women who once ruled the country. Try as they might to rewrite history, though, they cannot erase the memories of those who served in the Ōoku…
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 26, 2021
1 person is currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Fumi Yoshinaga
157 books248 followersJapanese: よしなが ふみ
Fumi Yoshinaga (よしなが ふみ Yoshinaga Fumi, born 1971) is a Japanese manga artist known for her shōjo and shōnen-ai works.
Fumi Yoshinaga was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1971. She attended the prestigious Keio University in Tokyo.
In an interview, she said that "I want to show the people who didn't win, whose dreams didn't come true. It is not possible for everybody to get first prize. I want my readers to understand the happiness that people can get from trying hard, going through the process, and getting frustrated."
Little is known about her personal life. She mentions that her favourite operas are those by Mozart in the author's note of Solfege.
She debuted in 1994 with The Moon and the Sandals, serialized in Hanaoto magazine, but was previously a participant in comic markets.
Of Yoshinaga's many works, several have been licensed internationally. She was also selected and exhibited as one of the "Twenty Major Manga artist Who Contributed to the World of Shōjo Manga (World War II to Present)" for Professor Masami Toku's exhibition, "Shōjo Manga: Girl Power!" at CSU-Chico.
Outside of her work with Japanese publishers, she also self-publishes original doujinshi on a regular basis, most notably for Antique Bakery. Yoshinaga has also drawn fan parodies of Slam Dunk, Rose of Versailles, and Legend of Galactic Heroes.
Fumi Yoshinaga (よしなが ふみ Yoshinaga Fumi, born 1971) is a Japanese manga artist known for her shōjo and shōnen-ai works.
Fumi Yoshinaga was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1971. She attended the prestigious Keio University in Tokyo.
In an interview, she said that "I want to show the people who didn't win, whose dreams didn't come true. It is not possible for everybody to get first prize. I want my readers to understand the happiness that people can get from trying hard, going through the process, and getting frustrated."
Little is known about her personal life. She mentions that her favourite operas are those by Mozart in the author's note of Solfege.
She debuted in 1994 with The Moon and the Sandals, serialized in Hanaoto magazine, but was previously a participant in comic markets.
Of Yoshinaga's many works, several have been licensed internationally. She was also selected and exhibited as one of the "Twenty Major Manga artist Who Contributed to the World of Shōjo Manga (World War II to Present)" for Professor Masami Toku's exhibition, "Shōjo Manga: Girl Power!" at CSU-Chico.
Outside of her work with Japanese publishers, she also self-publishes original doujinshi on a regular basis, most notably for Antique Bakery. Yoshinaga has also drawn fan parodies of Slam Dunk, Rose of Versailles, and Legend of Galactic Heroes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
March 29, 2022
The 19th and final volume of the sweeping epic alternative historical saga of the Edo period in Japan, wrapping up all of the political machinations that returned men to power as Japan turned from a feudal society to a global nation. The central interesting reflection on Japanese history that Yoshinaga-Sensei employs is queering the rendering of historical events by inventing a plague, The Red Pox, that killed off a majority of the male population, necessitating women’s rise to power. The focus of the series is the Tokugawa Shogunate, which in this volume is finally decimated, enabling the Meiji Restoration of 1868. Sir Tensho-In, one of our fave characters in the series, engineers a brilliant political solution to the civil conflict threatening to destroy Japan, avoiding the violence that everyone had anticipated.
On the personal side--because the series has always tacked back and forth between the broad political scene and the intense, sometimes salacious personal scene in the Inner Chambers (a male harem?! Glbtq representation!)--the series concludes with some sweet quiet personal moments including Tensho-In meeting several girls being sent to study in the United States, a moment of hope for Japan and the women and girls of the future Japan..
Maybe you think you aren’t interested in Japanese history, here in the West? Okay, I get that, but this is an epic manga accomplishment, finally concluded.
On the personal side--because the series has always tacked back and forth between the broad political scene and the intense, sometimes salacious personal scene in the Inner Chambers (a male harem?! Glbtq representation!)--the series concludes with some sweet quiet personal moments including Tensho-In meeting several girls being sent to study in the United States, a moment of hope for Japan and the women and girls of the future Japan..
Maybe you think you aren’t interested in Japanese history, here in the West? Okay, I get that, but this is an epic manga accomplishment, finally concluded.
April 21, 2023
I absolutely adored this entire series and I'm going to miss it very much :'(
May 29, 2023
完結啦，孫子可以少燒一套了
由於劇情走向的關係
作者不可避免變成佐幕派XD
而且為了接上史實，很多人物都沒性轉
只在最後藉性轉篤姬和女留學生的對話，
接上前面的性轉女將軍們
好可惜啊，想看性轉明治天皇說XDD
小小美中不足是幕臣效力新政府
心態未免轉變太快了吧
由於劇情走向的關係
作者不可避免變成佐幕派XD
而且為了接上史實，很多人物都沒性轉
只在最後藉性轉篤姬和女留學生的對話，
接上前面的性轉女將軍們
好可惜啊，想看性轉明治天皇說XDD
小小美中不足是幕臣效力新政府
心態未免轉變太快了吧
December 29, 2021
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
Thus ends one of the best written manga out in many years. Yoshinaga took historical facts from the Tokugawa Shogunate and created a fascinating series about the various Shogun, their vassals, and inner court life. Of course, anyone who has read Japanese history knows how this story ends: with the rebellion that leads to the end of the Shogunate and the Meiji Restoration of 1868.Story: Tokugawa Yoshinobu is well-hated by most of his court but his 'silver tongue' with the foreigners has given him powerful allies. But Satsuma's rebellion is taking its toll on the Shogun power and Yoshinobu is no military leader. Meanwhile, as the fighting continues to affect the countryside, most of the Ooku servants resign and head to their families. In order to save Yoshinobu's life and to keep rebellion leader Saigo from what will be a bloody siege of Edo, Takiyama and Tensho-In come up with a brilliant solution: if Saigo attacks the castle, they will burn it and the city to the ground. Saigo soon realizes the in order to win the battle he wants, he would have to lose everything. He will have to negotiate with the despised Shogunate in order to see the rebellion succeed.
There isn't much about the battles or rebellion - most of this volume is about Yoshinobu being more concerned about his appearance and honor than of saving his title or people. Satsuma's general Saigo comes up with a smart tactical strategy that outclasses Yoshinobu on a personal level - which leads to counselor Takiyama coming up with an equally smart "scorched Earth" tactic as well.
What we have is the end of both the Tokugawa Shogunate as well as the 'old Japan.' The Americans are there to stay and the transition begins from feudal to merchant society. There is a lovely ending that suitably ties up the series but also brings some nice closure to the characters we've been following during this last arc.
In all, a highly recommended series. The historical facts are there but given such a surprising and imaginative twist. It's like learning Japanese history but in a very fun way that is full of pathos mixed in with facts. The artwork is solid, clean, and easy to follow. Over the centuries this takes place, there are a wide range of characters, each modeled after the historical figure but given that little twist for this alternate universe Japan. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
June 2, 2023
Une superbe finale à cette série qui réussit le pari multiple de terminer une saga en rendant hommage aux volumes et personnages qui ont précédés, offrir des narrations nouvelles, intéressantes, qui ne font pas uniquement office de clôture et de poursuivre les poétiques précédentes et d'interroger le récit lui-même.
En effet, dès les premiers pages, je remarquais qu'au moins depuis le volume précédent et dans le premier récit de ce volume, la présence des femmes s'estompaient jusqu'à presque disparaître complètement, justifié par un "retour à la normal" et des développements de politiques internationales qui devaient prendre en considération la misogynie des interlocuteurs dans les relations. J'ai été toutefois très rapidement rassuré par une adresse directe de ces changements par les personnages à l'intérieur du récit et de comment ces transformations découlent des structures et des individus qui avaient avantage à effacer les femmes de l'espace public.
Cet effacement passe aussi par des actes très concrets.
Il y a aussi de très beaux moments qui sont offerts aux personnages malgré la fermeture du pavillon, comme cette journée à l'extérieur qui est passée à admirer les floraisons et à bien manger, un dernier beau moment passé pour les derniers hommes du pavillon et qui permet aussi à plusieurs personnages de se montrer et s'admirer comme ils sont pour une dernière fois. C'était un moment assez émouvant et inattendu, pour moi, du récit qui permettait un lieu de grande beauté parmi les nombreuses tragédies et clôturent qui secouaient ce volume.
Les dernières pages du manga sont aussi tout autant émouvante et est un dernier récit un peu sous la forme d'un épilogue, ancre l'arrivée du Japon dans la modernité, un nouveau régime politique et international qui rejoint "notre monde" dans toute sa misogynie, mais ouvre la porte pour une nouvelle lutte féministe et pour l'éducation des femmes tout en reconnaissant le travail accompli et les volumes précédents, comme un dernier hommage discret à cette uchronie qui converge à nouveau vers un cycle temporel plus "réaliste" qui est le nôtre.
Ce dernier volume n'échappe pas à son lot de tragédie, de mort, de luttes politiques meurtrières et guerres entre clans qui n'ont pas toujours de belles résolutions, et c'est assez incroyable que tous les récits proposés rentre dans un seul volume qui se lit vraiment d'un coup, sans longueur, ni dialogues interminables pour pouvoir exposer tous les changements politiques en cours.
Un dernier volume qui fait hommage au travail accompli jusqu'ici et clôt magnifiquement, au niveau narratif et esthétique, la série a pris 16 ans pour être publiés (entre 2004 et 2020), j'ai pris 5 ans pour la lire apparemment (j'ai lu le premier volume en mars 2018). Il n'y a pas un volume que je n'ai pas trouvé intéressant (les pires critiques que je faisais concernait certaines longueurs parfois où des moments avec des personnages qui m'intéressaient moins) et j'ai adoré (selon ma "note" de 5 étoiles) 8 des volumes de la série ce qui est assez extraordinaire et j'ai effectivement des souvenirs vifs de certains personnages ou moments dans l'histoire qui m'ont marqué. Ce tome-ci m'a fait versé des petites larmes à deux reprises et j'ai même dû prendre un bon moment après ma lecture pour m'en remettre. Je conseille donc définitivement cette série, mon seul regret de lecture est de ne pas connaître mieux cette période historique du Japon qui m'aurait clairement fait réalisé beaucoup de correspondance et clins d'oeil à la véritable histoire et aurait pu enrichir ma lecture considérablement.
Il y a apparemment une émission télévisée adaptée de la série qui va très bientôt être disponible (ce mois-ci!) en streaming, j'avoue que j'ai un peu hâte de revoir tout ça sous de nouveaux angles de lecture et probablement un nouveau regard.
En effet, dès les premiers pages, je remarquais qu'au moins depuis le volume précédent et dans le premier récit de ce volume, la présence des femmes s'estompaient jusqu'à presque disparaître complètement, justifié par un "retour à la normal" et des développements de politiques internationales qui devaient prendre en considération la misogynie des interlocuteurs dans les relations. J'ai été toutefois très rapidement rassuré par une adresse directe de ces changements par les personnages à l'intérieur du récit et de comment ces transformations découlent des structures et des individus qui avaient avantage à effacer les femmes de l'espace public.
Cet effacement passe aussi par des actes très concrets.
Il y a aussi de très beaux moments qui sont offerts aux personnages malgré la fermeture du pavillon, comme cette journée à l'extérieur qui est passée à admirer les floraisons et à bien manger, un dernier beau moment passé pour les derniers hommes du pavillon et qui permet aussi à plusieurs personnages de se montrer et s'admirer comme ils sont pour une dernière fois. C'était un moment assez émouvant et inattendu, pour moi, du récit qui permettait un lieu de grande beauté parmi les nombreuses tragédies et clôturent qui secouaient ce volume.
Les dernières pages du manga sont aussi tout autant émouvante et est un dernier récit un peu sous la forme d'un épilogue, ancre l'arrivée du Japon dans la modernité, un nouveau régime politique et international qui rejoint "notre monde" dans toute sa misogynie, mais ouvre la porte pour une nouvelle lutte féministe et pour l'éducation des femmes tout en reconnaissant le travail accompli et les volumes précédents, comme un dernier hommage discret à cette uchronie qui converge à nouveau vers un cycle temporel plus "réaliste" qui est le nôtre.
Ce dernier volume n'échappe pas à son lot de tragédie, de mort, de luttes politiques meurtrières et guerres entre clans qui n'ont pas toujours de belles résolutions, et c'est assez incroyable que tous les récits proposés rentre dans un seul volume qui se lit vraiment d'un coup, sans longueur, ni dialogues interminables pour pouvoir exposer tous les changements politiques en cours.
Un dernier volume qui fait hommage au travail accompli jusqu'ici et clôt magnifiquement, au niveau narratif et esthétique, la série a pris 16 ans pour être publiés (entre 2004 et 2020), j'ai pris 5 ans pour la lire apparemment (j'ai lu le premier volume en mars 2018). Il n'y a pas un volume que je n'ai pas trouvé intéressant (les pires critiques que je faisais concernait certaines longueurs parfois où des moments avec des personnages qui m'intéressaient moins) et j'ai adoré (selon ma "note" de 5 étoiles) 8 des volumes de la série ce qui est assez extraordinaire et j'ai effectivement des souvenirs vifs de certains personnages ou moments dans l'histoire qui m'ont marqué. Ce tome-ci m'a fait versé des petites larmes à deux reprises et j'ai même dû prendre un bon moment après ma lecture pour m'en remettre. Je conseille donc définitivement cette série, mon seul regret de lecture est de ne pas connaître mieux cette période historique du Japon qui m'aurait clairement fait réalisé beaucoup de correspondance et clins d'oeil à la véritable histoire et aurait pu enrichir ma lecture considérablement.
Il y a apparemment une émission télévisée adaptée de la série qui va très bientôt être disponible (ce mois-ci!) en streaming, j'avoue que j'ai un peu hâte de revoir tout ça sous de nouveaux angles de lecture et probablement un nouveau regard.
April 22, 2024
And this fantastic series comes to an end for me. This volume serves as both an epilogue to the overall story as well as detailing how the transfer of power occurred between the Shogunate and the Meiji government.
Lovely art and some really touching moments - which of course - made me cry. The volume ended in this hopeful note which I was surprised by. It was surely optimistic and forward looking which I appreciated. Even though it made me cry as well - not in sadness in hope.
Really glad I read the series - one of the best I’ve ever read.
Lovely art and some really touching moments - which of course - made me cry. The volume ended in this hopeful note which I was surprised by. It was surely optimistic and forward looking which I appreciated. Even though it made me cry as well - not in sadness in hope.
Really glad I read the series - one of the best I’ve ever read.
October 7, 2025
Vol. 14 ★★★★☆
Vol. 15 ★★★★☆
Vol. 16 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 17 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 18 ★★★☆☆
What a bittersweet ending. As the Tokugawa shogunate comes to an end and power transfers to the Meiji government, history gets rewritten to serve a narrative. I'm glad the story ends with Takiyama and Tensho-in. They're some of my favorite characters of the series so I'm relieved to see them get a nice send-off instead of dying in horrible ways.
Vol. 15 ★★★★☆
Vol. 16 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 17 ★★★☆☆
Vol. 18 ★★★☆☆
What a bittersweet ending. As the Tokugawa shogunate comes to an end and power transfers to the Meiji government, history gets rewritten to serve a narrative. I'm glad the story ends with Takiyama and Tensho-in. They're some of my favorite characters of the series so I'm relieved to see them get a nice send-off instead of dying in horrible ways.
January 24, 2022
ARC via Edelweiss. Wow, I cannot believe this series is finally over! It's an absolutely landmark achievement. Very different tonally from Yoshinaga-sensei's other work and brutally grim in many places, but overall I thought this was a fascinating and inspiring read! It ends on... maybe as positive a note as possible, given the arc of history.
August 30, 2023
I wish I could give the entire series six or seven stars instead of just five. It has been a long time since I ever cried while engaging with any type of media, but from Volume 18 until the end I was bawling my eyes out.
The premise of "historical Japan, but most of the male population is dead, the shogun is a woman and she has a male harem" doesn't do this series justice. It's an epic spawning multiple generations, dealing masterfully on topics like gender roles, social class, and who has the right to participate on your country's government. It's also a delicate piece that portrays its character's sad stories with respect and compassion. It's also a love poem to history, showing how time warps and sometimes completely forgets people's stories. It's also a beautifully drawn and translated comic book.
It's also an accurate alternative history, according to what I checked on Wikipedia while reading it. Except for the gender of characters, the disease that killed 3/4 of men, and a few details, it's pretty much the history of the Tokugawa shogunate. And now I refuse to learn about the real people depicted in it. These characters are too precious for me to accept any other version.
The premise of "historical Japan, but most of the male population is dead, the shogun is a woman and she has a male harem" doesn't do this series justice. It's an epic spawning multiple generations, dealing masterfully on topics like gender roles, social class, and who has the right to participate on your country's government. It's also a delicate piece that portrays its character's sad stories with respect and compassion. It's also a love poem to history, showing how time warps and sometimes completely forgets people's stories. It's also a beautifully drawn and translated comic book.
It's also an accurate alternative history, according to what I checked on Wikipedia while reading it. Except for the gender of characters, the disease that killed 3/4 of men, and a few details, it's pretty much the history of the Tokugawa shogunate. And now I refuse to learn about the real people depicted in it. These characters are too precious for me to accept any other version.
July 25, 2022
I almost started sobbing multiple times. 😭😭😭
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November 22, 2022
A really great ending! I'm really, really happy with this one. I'm not going to sit here and say this is the best series I've ever read, and it's certainly not the one I'd recommend to the most people. With that said, that's perhaps because it's just so unique: a retelling of Japanese history with the "what-if" premise that the vast majority of its leaders and major figures were women. My sympathies are with Yoshinaga on this one; despite the obvious intrigue of the premise, I'm shocked the modern manga industry managed to get the entire series translated into English. Far more mass-appealing titles have suffered from incomplete translation and early entrance into out-of-print status (Yoshinaga's yaoi, for example, is far from widely available.)
This final volume wraps things up quite neatly: we see the final fates of all of our recent favorites, the reason the history was lost, and the nitty-gritty details of just why nobody "knows the truth." While I was nettled by Chikako getting our requisite "whoah this girl who was gender-non-conforming her entire life is a hot REGULAR girl now!" makeover, I do love her response to the claim that "this is who [she] truly [is]:" "What are you talking about? I have never been anything other than myself."
Furthermore, the ending was a wonderful touch. We see our lovely historical gentlemen off to San Francisco, clad in even more historical garments to go weak in the knees over (these Western!), and passing on the legend of the female shogun to none other than the young Tsuda Ume, which is a delightful and ingenious twist to effectively bring a major historical female figure to the end of the manga. I was initially saddened not to see Chikako or someone else immediately recognizable, but this is entirely a failing on my part as an uneducated American (Chikako passed away at 31, and Ume is likely a well-known figure in Japan)-- this closing is hopeful despite the fate of the shogunate, and ultimately female power, at the hands of the emperor.
If you've been enjoying my reviews of the series, I recommend it to you, too! It's basically as good as it sounds and better; if you're interested in gendercide plots/historical Japan/weird historical Japan gender stuff, this is probably of interest to you.
November 19, 2025
We do not deserve Fumi Yoshinaga's talent.
I have a strange relationship with this series. I first started it years ago, and only got to volume 5 because my local library only had the first 5. It took my probably 4 years to finally try the series again, and while the translation initially was pretty rough with its use of an older English more common in a Shakespearean play, it started off rocky. I had planned to finish this series at the beginning of 2025, but we are at the end after a long hiatus between volumes 7 and 8. This is truly a series that you just have to stick with, it will be hard, but it is such a rewarding experience.
I'm planning to write an article on the use of history in Ooku and how historians should look to manga and fiction in general as a way to view and interact with history in a larger sense. I plan to explore how Yoshinaga used actual history to develop her alternate history, and how it only added to the complexity of the plot and character.
Anyways, amazing series, and Fumi Yoshinaga is the best mangaka of all time.
I have a strange relationship with this series. I first started it years ago, and only got to volume 5 because my local library only had the first 5. It took my probably 4 years to finally try the series again, and while the translation initially was pretty rough with its use of an older English more common in a Shakespearean play, it started off rocky. I had planned to finish this series at the beginning of 2025, but we are at the end after a long hiatus between volumes 7 and 8. This is truly a series that you just have to stick with, it will be hard, but it is such a rewarding experience.
I'm planning to write an article on the use of history in Ooku and how historians should look to manga and fiction in general as a way to view and interact with history in a larger sense. I plan to explore how Yoshinaga used actual history to develop her alternate history, and how it only added to the complexity of the plot and character.
Anyways, amazing series, and Fumi Yoshinaga is the best mangaka of all time.
May 29, 2022
I am so conflicted with this series! And now it's over and I'll miss it so much.
Love the art style, the intrigue and many of the characters, but as it went on I became sad to see the "male world" seemingly coming back to take over. And here we have a conclusion that's been hinted at for several volumes now...
But! Well, Ôoku never pulled it's punches when it came to ending lives and storylines.
Sir O-Man's kimono pattern has run through the story, as have the memories of previous shoguns and retainers. It is fitting that in this final volume, Iemochi's memory still echoes so strongly. Prince Kazu, lord Tensho-in and the revolutionaries that bring forth modern Japan are all there, shaped by those who came before them. A fine end.
I look forward to binging the series at some point. It is very worth re-reading, especially with the release pace. Did a reread somewhere in the middle, and the bigger structures are more visible and impressive that way.
Love the art style, the intrigue and many of the characters, but as it went on I became sad to see the "male world" seemingly coming back to take over. And here we have a conclusion that's been hinted at for several volumes now...
But! Well, Ôoku never pulled it's punches when it came to ending lives and storylines.
Sir O-Man's kimono pattern has run through the story, as have the memories of previous shoguns and retainers. It is fitting that in this final volume, Iemochi's memory still echoes so strongly. Prince Kazu, lord Tensho-in and the revolutionaries that bring forth modern Japan are all there, shaped by those who came before them. A fine end.
I look forward to binging the series at some point. It is very worth re-reading, especially with the release pace. Did a reread somewhere in the middle, and the bigger structures are more visible and impressive that way.
February 4, 2024
A new government begins in Japan and the people who lived their lives in the Inner Chambers must find other places to reside.
Yay! The mangaka stuck the landing with this last book in the series. There was the threat of war and political manipulations but also the things that will stick with me: Prince Kazu makes a difference, Takiyama makes two decisions (one good, one bad), and Tensho-in starts a whole new life. There was a point in this story where my heart dropped but finally - finally!- the author/artist decided to not kill our hearts in a volume.
I think this series is magnificent. I wish I owned them all because I immediately want to go back and reread them to see how the sacrifices of the first characters led to the end of the story.
Yay! The mangaka stuck the landing with this last book in the series. There was the threat of war and political manipulations but also the things that will stick with me: Prince Kazu makes a difference, Takiyama makes two decisions (one good, one bad), and Tensho-in starts a whole new life. There was a point in this story where my heart dropped but finally - finally!- the author/artist decided to not kill our hearts in a volume.
I think this series is magnificent. I wish I owned them all because I immediately want to go back and reread them to see how the sacrifices of the first characters led to the end of the story.
March 25, 2022
I have been reading this manga series for 14 years now, and I love it with all my heart. The first time I read it was on online website during highschool and later on when I started working, I purchased all the volumes from #1 and up until now, #19.
It has been such a wonderful ride and this last volume in particular is a terrific ending to an amazing story. I cried my eyeballs out throughout the second of this volume, and that last page was perfect.
A brilliant work by Yoshinaga-Sensei and the quality has been outstanding from start to finish. If you have followed the manga from the start, this last volume will be a satisfying end to the journey of Ooku: The inner chambers.
It has been such a wonderful ride and this last volume in particular is a terrific ending to an amazing story. I cried my eyeballs out throughout the second of this volume, and that last page was perfect.
A brilliant work by Yoshinaga-Sensei and the quality has been outstanding from start to finish. If you have followed the manga from the start, this last volume will be a satisfying end to the journey of Ooku: The inner chambers.
July 27, 2023
Saying goodbye to the Inner Chambers felt like letting go of a close confidant that you have accompanied for a long time.
It's interesting how attached I got to this horrible place where people mostly were miserable and felt trapped, but it nonetheless became their place in the world.
This whole series was an emotional rollercoaster that I didn't expect to like as much as I did. Especially after the first arc, when it was clear that, naturally, the key figures would change ever so often.
I can only reccomend reading this spin on historical events, as it was very well written and beautifully drawn. The last two chapters made me cry.
It's interesting how attached I got to this horrible place where people mostly were miserable and felt trapped, but it nonetheless became their place in the world.
This whole series was an emotional rollercoaster that I didn't expect to like as much as I did. Especially after the first arc, when it was clear that, naturally, the key figures would change ever so often.
I can only reccomend reading this spin on historical events, as it was very well written and beautifully drawn. The last two chapters made me cry.
June 6, 2022
ahhh, this is the ending i anticipated and it was well handled but a part of me is disappointed. for all those women's achievements to be erased! but it makes perfect sense for the story this is telling. my rating is not a reflection of this volume which is a perfectly suited close to the series but simply of my own feelings
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
January 24, 2023
A perfect, bittersweet end to this alternate history epic, one that shows just how carefully Yoshinaga had planned everything out. This really made me want to find a good, accessible history of the Tokugawa shogunate, so I can see the real history that inspired this incredible series.
March 19, 2024
Del tomo 10 hasta el 19 no he conseguido que ningún arco me guste tanto como la primera mitad. Creo que los tomos finales sí que recuperan un poco la chispa y el final es muy satisfactorio para la historia.
March 23, 2022
I loved this rambling chaotic emotional genderwreck of a series and the final volume wrapped it up nicely.
July 1, 2022
Sad it's the series end, but wrapped up well and on a hopeful note.
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May 30, 2023完結！值得重看的好作品，看到說不定阿萬之方是最希望大奧消失的人有點感傷。
March 16, 2024
What a nice ending for a beautifully written and illustrated manga. Ooku now have a place in my heart. I experienced many emotions while reading. ; v ;
September 2, 2024
finished rereading this entire series. i still believe that it's absolutely perfect.
September 30, 2024
What an ending! No spoilers, but the way this ended was so fitting and makes so much sense from where it started. Highly recommend this series!
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February 2, 2025All done😢🥲
January 22, 2023
Even though i found the last numbers a bit rushed and not well thought through as the first 16 volumes, all together Ooku is one of my favorite manga of all times.
I found the story, the drawings and the characters complex, interesting and exciting. I love how everything is mirroring history with a twist, how there is a clear strong but not trivial feministic message that is narrated through the historical events in such a smart way.
I love that is given the reader the possibility to learn about the Tokugawa family, all the different shoguns, their strenght and weaknesses, the political games and the romantic plots. It is such a rafinated scenario with many characters. It is hard to read this manga following its publications cadence - I had to start from the beginning few times to be able to grasp where we were and last time, I read it whole from the beginning to finally dive into the final chapters.
I was not disappointed, I saw details I didn't catch before and understood more of the complex plot. It can be that for me to be able to understand fully the last volumes I would have to dive into it again.
I am impressed on the accuracy of the real history on how it has been transformed into this original twisted variant. It must have taken some research and it must have required quite some innovative ideas to be able to don't make it fake and foolish.
Let's not talk about the drawings. The beauty of them matches perfectly the setting and the accuracy let the reader enjoy even more the atmosphere. It is so easy to be dragged into the pages of the manga and lose oneself into the complicated world of the Ooku and all its inhabitants!
I found the story, the drawings and the characters complex, interesting and exciting. I love how everything is mirroring history with a twist, how there is a clear strong but not trivial feministic message that is narrated through the historical events in such a smart way.
I love that is given the reader the possibility to learn about the Tokugawa family, all the different shoguns, their strenght and weaknesses, the political games and the romantic plots. It is such a rafinated scenario with many characters. It is hard to read this manga following its publications cadence - I had to start from the beginning few times to be able to grasp where we were and last time, I read it whole from the beginning to finally dive into the final chapters.
I was not disappointed, I saw details I didn't catch before and understood more of the complex plot. It can be that for me to be able to understand fully the last volumes I would have to dive into it again.
I am impressed on the accuracy of the real history on how it has been transformed into this original twisted variant. It must have taken some research and it must have required quite some innovative ideas to be able to don't make it fake and foolish.
Let's not talk about the drawings. The beauty of them matches perfectly the setting and the accuracy let the reader enjoy even more the atmosphere. It is so easy to be dragged into the pages of the manga and lose oneself into the complicated world of the Ooku and all its inhabitants!
April 6, 2025
Masterpiece.
I think I had never read a historical fiction as clever as this one, changing up the genders and supposed causes of conflict or events that happened in real life to make sense for the plot and characters in this story.
Something truly exceptional, cannot recommend enough, though it does get into deeper subject matters that could be triggering to some people.
I think I had never read a historical fiction as clever as this one, changing up the genders and supposed causes of conflict or events that happened in real life to make sense for the plot and characters in this story.
Something truly exceptional, cannot recommend enough, though it does get into deeper subject matters that could be triggering to some people.
June 22, 2022
A fitting, satisfying ending to one of the best pieces of historical fiction I have ever had the pleasure of reading in any medium.
July 21, 2022
I have hardly ever read a gender analysis of power and human soul written more imaginatively or accurately than this series. A masterpiece!
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