Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 2

大奥 [Ōoku] #2

by Fumi Yoshinaga

Curious about why female lords must take on male names, the shogun Yoshimune seeks out the ancient scribe Murase and his archives of the last eighty years of the Inner Chambers—called the Chronicle of the Dying Day. In its pages Yoshimune discovers the coming of the Redface Pox, the death of the last male shogun, and the birth of the new Japan…

Genres: Manga, Historical Fiction, Graphic Novels, Comics, Japan, Historical, Alternate History

242 pages, Paperback

First published November 29, 2006

About the author

Japanese: 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.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, in the second volume we go back 80 years (from the first volume) to get some broader historical background, so this is a kind of prequel to volume one, and further evidence of Yoshinago's storytelling abilities. Complex, rich, sad, brutal, murderous, turning the idea of the female harem on its head, with lots of exploration of gender and sexuality and identity, generally. The central love story is powerful and moving. There's beauty in the artistic rendering of a lot of compelling and anguishing brutality.

[Akemi G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is still strong in this vol 2 of the series. (Please see here for my general review of the series.) It's a speculative historical fiction: some characters, like Shogun Iemitsu, are historical figures (swapped into opposite gender in this manga), and what they do in this story closely follows the historical facts. Some characters, like O-man, are largely fictitious; we know that one of Iemitsu's concubines was called so, and that she was a nun earlier, but that's about all we know.

Yoshinaga relies heavily on a little known novel called "Tokugawa no fujintachi" ( 徳川の夫人たち "Tokugawa Women", 1966), by Nobuko Yoshiya, for this part of her manga about Iemitsu and O-man. (I don't think the novel is available in English.) I don't see this as plagiarism because I think the manga has significant changes (gender swap, some original side stories, plus, as manga, it is a different form of expression) although I'm not sure what Yoshiya might have thought about this. (Yoshiya passed away in 1973, with no biological children. And I cannot find if her "adopted child" is still alive.) (In case you don't know, adoption is used in Japan as a way to build legal bond between same sex partners.)

[Elizabeth A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so enjoying this manga series, and am reading them slowly as to make it last. Don't you just love books like that?

Okay, we are in 17th century Japan, and the Shogun is a woman, and the harem is full of beautiful men. How did that happen? If you've read the first volume, you already know that the Redface Pox is wiping out Japanese men at an alarming rate, but then the story picks up 80 years later. What happened during those 80 years? This volume is a prequel to the first, and we rewind the clock 80 years as the current Shogun, Yoshimune, reads the Chronicle of the Dying Day. We meet new characters, and fill in the parts of the story that we've all been wondering about. Beautifully told and illustrated, funny, violent, sad, and tragic. The author wonderfully fleshes out the characters and their life stories, and makes the events that unfold seem believable. I love the real history woven into the story, but am still annoyed with the clunky formal manner of speaking. The translation is jarring, and yet I am fully immersed in this alternate history of Japan. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is Games of Thrones with Samurai.

I recently picked up the next five books in the series, so there will be a binge reading session soon.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume goes back in time to the early 1600s, when the red pox was first making inroads into Japan's male population. Arikoto, a young abbott, catches the attention of the shogun's main attendant Kasuga. Kasuga forces him to renounce his vows and become a catamite of the shogun. That ends up only being nominal, because the previous shogun is dead, and his heir is not who they seem to be at first.

I don't often read manga for adults, mostly keeping to stories written for teens. This "definitely intended for adults" story is full of content warning-worthy events, among them rape, coercive sex, and death of an animal. None of these are explicit, but there's enough there for a reader to figure out what's happening, or what has already happened.

Aside from the adult content, it's also complex and thoughtful, not having heroes and villains per se, but people whose circumstances and backgrounds cause them to make decisions that are cruel, or kind, or murderous. The Inner Chambers are going through a period of change thanks to the plague, and a wing full of people competing for the shogun's favor isn't a great environment for kindness to thrive. Despite his determination to remain serene and untouched by the corruption around him, Arikoto starts to succumb, if only to the extent that he gets emotionally entangled at times, whereas previously he was above--or simply apart from--it all. Perhaps the insulated environment of the monastery was what enabled him to be so saintly in the first place.

Gyokuei, an acolyte at the monastery who becomes Arikoto's personal attendant, is more of an Arikoto worshipper than a Buddhist, by my reckoning. His loyalty is extreme, and he both endures some heinous things at the hands of the other residents of the inner chambers, and does some heinous things out of adoration for his master.

The translation is still on the Shakespearean side, though either I've gotten used to the language, or the translator has dialed it back. If nothing else, it's more appropriate to this volume's time period than the previous one's. The translator's notes tell us that Arikoto and the shogun in this volume are gender-flipped versions of historical figures. Interesting! Maybe there will be more of that as the series goes along.

Ōoku won't be for everyone--I can easily imagine either the translation or the "grimdarkness" being unappealing enough that many readers won't get far with it. I'm not sure why it hasn't chased me away, but I'm far more fascinated than appalled, and am very curious to see where the story goes from here.

[Ilana (illi69) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. I loved the first volume and now really hooked with book 2. Can’t wait to get the next three installments from the library and rushing now to reserve yet more. Just too bad I don’t have the energy to pen a review as I’d like the reminder of what I loved so much about this story down the road... but it’s a complicated storyline and pretty much explained in the publishers blurb.

I’ve read a review mentioning the English translation is a bit annoying, as they’ve tried to convey a medieval form of speech which apparently weighs things down and makes it rather clumsy. Not so with the French translation I’m going with, which is direct and tells the story simply, without stylistic touches. I have no idea which translation is truer to the original Japanese text, but am not really bothered considering the manga has completely hooked me in on the merits of story, drawings and characters alone... and a translation that doesn’t get in the way of conveying the story.

Now I wish I’d written this much to convince potential readers about why this is such a great read instead of a boring thing about comparative translations that nobody cares about aside from maybe three other people on GR who are bilingual like me, but so it is. Not like anyone is paying us to write these things.

If you want a review worth reading, try David’s. He’s the one who got me hooked on this series to begin with. Or any reviewer who’s given themselves the trouble to explain what the tale is all about. 😜

[MasterSal · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd Re-read in March 2022

This volume is one I remember as being one where the series expanded in scope and we moved beyond the premise of a gender-flipped harem to really explore history and the transfer of power from men to women - and the upheaval that precipitates.

Excellent and powerful - this time I was much more aware of the gender dynamics being explored and the nature of power and how we are forced and then trapped into roles we don't want. This is true for men and women - the key is who has power and who doesn’t.

Our hero is a monk and he is kind and gentle - not aggressive or powerful in that typical mascluine way. In fact, he is ridiculed for being feminine and attacked for it within the Ooku. But he is kind, gentle and more of a man than many other shown in the book. But he is as trapped as the young, female Shogun who is ridiculed for playing at being a man - but is also forced to give up her gender, her name - her very place in life - for preserving a bloodline and power structure which is obviously failing (in this case because of a fantasy plague).

It was all very well done and it broke my heart all over again - even thinking about it makes me tear up. There is violence on page which the author does not shy away from but combines it with beautiful art which provide a great contrast.

Once again I have had to pause before I proceed to the next volume as this made me cry (and it’s not the best thing for me given IRL stuff).

Still - very worth checking out if you can get a copy - 5 stars.

-----------

May 2020:

This was another difficult but excellent read. I find this volume even better than volume 1 as it opened up the world and this had a more connective story than the first which was just setting up the premise.

This is also darker in some respects than Vol 1 as the shock of a “reverse harem” is done and the nastier parts of power dynamics are explored. There is not as much humour here as the genre “reverse harem” would suggest so be forewarned.

I loved the main male protagonist - he is a monk who is forced to give up his lifestyle to join the Inner Chambers. However, his force and conviction remain which was lovely to see - it was a masculine but still gentle which provided a contrast to the macho histrionics of all the other characters (male and female).

The manga also wrapped in real Japanese history - including the closure of Japan to foreigners and the Shoguns themselves who were real people in history (but are gender swapped here). It makes me want to go back and read the actual history which is always a win.

The language was also less stilted here (or I ignored it because I was engrossed). I am looking forward to continuing the plot - I was surprised as how invested I was in the central love story and characters despite how dark this got.

[Mary Shyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series S L A P S

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

More background world-building in this volume, things quickly start to turn dark and as always brilliantly written characters to both love and hate.

[marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vol. 1 ★★★★☆

For a second, I worried this volume won't be as good as the first. As it turns out, I was worrying for nothing. Vol. 2 is set decades earlier and introduces a new batch of characters yet stays just as compelling. Both Arikoto and Iemitsu have lived difficult lives dictated by the whims of others so it's not hard to see why they would be drawn to one another in the dog-eat-dog world of the Inner Chambers. Although the story is dark, it never gets explicit. I appreciate Fumi Yoshinaga for realizing it's not necessary and exercising restraint. Note on the translation: it's not as jarring this time around.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stuff I Read - Ooku volume 2 by Fumi Yoshinaga Review

After a first volume that just sort of delved right into a world where ninety percent of men died from the mysterious Red Pox, volume two of Ooku steps back and gives us a bit of the history of the setting, specifically the divergent path in the royal family brought on by the disease and the rise of the first female Shogun. This happens alongside the forming of the male Inner Chambers, so it gives a nice back story to some of the events that happened in the first volume while also managing to tell a good story in its own right. The story of Akimoto and Iemitsu is one tinged in pain and sadness. Both are pushed against their wills into their stations, Iemitsu into being Shogun and Akimoto into being the first real member of the Inner Chambers.

Behind both sad stories is Kasuga, who is ruthless and cruel and yet who manages to save Japan in many ways. Though she is unbalanced and really nasty at times, she is also the one that holds everything together, who ensures that the Edo Shoguns won't lose their power. In her wake, though, she leaves shattered lives. It takes Akimoto, a priest and a bit of a martyr, reaching out with tenderness and compassion rather than with malice. And his compassion mixed with Iemitsu's pain and rage are what basically shape the Inner Chambers into what was seen in the first volume.

It's an interesting story, and Iemitsu is a fascinating character, someone that most people overlook as weak or cruel because she has power or because she is a woman. Her life, though, and the things she has to endure because of Kasuga's ambition to maintain the shogun line, are intense and dramatic. It twists her, corrupts her. It makes her relationship with her own femininity complicated. She hates the feminine because she sees it as weak because that was how she was raised, and it takes Akimoto adopting the feminine to show her just what kind of power it can have.

So the volume succeeds to me both as a prequel to the first volume, justifying the changes in history by showing how things developed, and also succeeds as a stand alone story of the budding love between Akimoto and Iemitsu. It is ripe with darkness, but given that it's the story of how the old world died and was reborn into the Japan shown in the first volume, it makes sense and doesn't come off as unnecessary. The actions have weight, and I could feel the ramifications echo forward. I'm really looking forward to the next volume, then, and give this one an 8.25/10.

[Doc · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the "Chronicle of a Dying Day" firmly in hand Shogun Yoshimune learns the painful past that has lead to a female dominated society (with many younger males having been claimed by the Red Pox Plague reducing males to 1/4 the ratio of females) and we come along for the ride as volume 2 delves into the past to uncover a conspiracy designed to protect Edo from infighting and to protect the Tokugawa bloodline which hangs in the balance on a child born from the former shogun proving he could lay with woman if he chose to do so (he preferred men after all so any heir was welcomed so long as they fit the plan.

In the meantime a monk and his two traveling companions have come to Edo to give thanks for his recent promotion to discover his destiny is about to change as secrets are so important that murder to ensure them are common envelope them as he is forced to enter the inner chambers. Kasuga is a great manipulative person with a scary kind of control over the life and death of just about every person in the chambers and the monk Arikoto must decide to give up his oath to Buddha and give up his dream to help the unfortunate of the world or save the lives of innocents and his disciple after the other monk he was traveling with is ruthlessly cut down because he dared resist breaking his oath already. This story is about Arikoto and the woman who took the place of the Shogan who was her father and there are a lot of things that happen in this volume so be sure to read it so you can experience them yourself. :)

My favorite part of the book is sadly the last part of the volume so I can't say to much without spoiling but let's say someone realizes sometimes what we think we are meant to do in life is not what we are meant to do. Sometimes we are destined to care for a single person.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cw: rape, animal death (on page), sexual violence, sexual assault, kidnapping, physical abuse, emotional abuse, pandemic/epidemic, blood

Volume 2 of Ooku takes a look at the beginning of the new Japanese government. It's also a wonderful study of masculinity in 17th century Japanese society. I love the world building this series shows.
This volume is definitely much more violent and explicit than the pervious one but it's presented with tact. Each moment is used to build the story and trigger plot events and none of it is wasted unnecessarily.

[Avasa Sarawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second volume of ooku explains much of the seemingly arbitrary customs that exist in this literary universe. It introduces readers to Myokei, this volumes protagonist and soon to be the head monk (abbot) of the kekuin (monastery). However before he can start his duties he must first visit the Edo shogunate and inform him of the position. However the Edo shogun at the time was horny and gay so instead of wishing Myokei well he killed most of his accompanying buddhist friars and held him hostage as a part of his harem. As explained in the previous volume a redpox disease was plaguing Edo society targeting young men and the shogun was not spared and passed away from the disease. Moreover as a result of the shogun’s homosexual tendencies he left behind no legitimate heirs. This deeply vexed the late shoguns royal advisor who was fearful of invasions by neighbouring settlements. The advisor (Kasuga) however was extremely deft and acted quickly to try and preserve the royal lineage. Kasuga had known that although the late shogun had no legitimate children he had one illegitimate daughter born as a result of his tyranny. Thus, she found and kidnapped the child forcing her to take on her father’s identity despite her looking very effeminate. This sets a precedent seen in the first volume where despite females being the heads of household they always take a male last name, similar to how the daughter of the late shogun was forced to take his name.
Kasuga demanded that anyone who knew of the kings death and “rebranding” to be forbidden from leaving the royal palace allowing the reign of the “shogun” to continue. This explains one of the customs seen the first volume where the female shoguns harem cannot leave the palace. Anywho, Kasuga figures that the late shoguns male harem actually may work in their favour now as they have people to protect the new shogun and males to father a future male heir. Myokei remains as one such male apart of the shoguns harem and the new shogun actually takes quite a liking to myokei due to his effeminate features. The two bond over their similar situations being that they are both held in this palace against their will.

Overall this volume helps explain some of the odd customs that don’t exactly seem fit for a woman run society and also nicely sets up the beginnings of the relationship between Myokei and the shogun. Anywho, I think the next volume will continue right where this one ended as the it seems the society portrayed in the first volume is still at odds with the one in this volume as females needed to conceal their gender to act as shogun but such is not necessary in the first volume.

[Nicolas Lontel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Le tome 2 d'une série de manga uchronique qui imagine une période Edo où 1 homme sur 20 survivent suite à une épidémie et où le shogunat est maintenant dirigé par une femme.

Alors que le volume 1 se situait quelques décennies après l'épidémie, on revient au début de celle-ci dans ce tome avec l'introduction de la première remplaçante du Shogun décédé de la maladie. Avant de couvrir cette histoire, on suit un moine qui doit renoncer de force à ses vœux de piété et d'abstinence pour intégrer le pavillon des hommes. Décision qu'il sera forcé de prendre en voyant ses compagnons mourir sous ces yeux.

Je trouvais le début un peu lent et j'étais en train de me demander si j'allais vraiment continuer la série puisqu'on semblait avoir une simple inversion du patriarcat où les femmes étaient cruelles envers les hommes et où on avait créé un harem simplement pour se divertir, mais c'était sans compter l'excellence narrative de l'autrice qui offre une toute autre histoire qui se révèle tranquillement au fil des pages.

Les thèmes du costume du premier sont beaucoup moins présents au profit de thèmes plus floraux, mais avec une plus grande importance sur l'apparence et le jeu du travestissement. J'apprécie donc immensément la richesse de l'analyse et du détail qui se poursuit et le renouvellement constant du style narratif et symbolique. Ce manga est d'une très grande richesse, m'a littéralement fait pleurer à la fin (ça faisait longtemps que ça ne m'était pas arrivé), et je vais me garder le plaisir de ne pas poursuivre tout de suite la lecture pour la savourer autant que ce tome.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

In an alternate history 17th century Japan, the story of the first female Shogun is shared.

I was actually afraid to read the second volume in this series because the first was so amazingly good. This is one of those sequels (it's actually a prequel because it goes back in time) that is just as good as the first. This series is heart-wrenching. The Red Pox has killed the majority of men in Japan and women have taken their roles. This story focuses on the first female Shogun and the male concubines/harem she keeps. This is one of the best manga I have ever read.

[Fulya · Rating 4 out of 5]

İlk kitap biraz zayıf olsa da ikinci kitapta ortaya çıkan shogun olayı aldı götürdü. Bir kere inanılmaz seksi bir karakter, hem de hiç seks sahnesi olmadan böyle çizmeyi başarmışlar. Hikayenin devamını sırf bu kadın için merak ediyorum.

Kendisi şöyle bir ablamızdır: https://images.app.goo.gl/2qCG9Sy1HRk...

Bundan sonra Tokugawa Ietmitsu reyiz forevır.

[Loz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume did not fuck around. Strikingly violent and dramatic. Fantastic art and driving story. I love it.

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a brutal series.

[Eressea · Rating 5 out of 5]

這集劇情好殘酷

[addie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 This volume took us back 80 years to get some broader background and I really enjoyed this one more than the first volume. The drawing is magnificent.

[Vika · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh to be a humble monk personally appointed by buddha to be the boytoy of a spoiled princess

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first volume was the frame, showing a world in which there are few men, many women, customs that do not quite make sense, and a general sense that this is how the world has always been, so it is taken for granted.

This second volume goes back to the beginning and shows how it happened, the plague striking and how it impacts people across the different classes. Yoshinaga is so deft, showing the reader just a scene here, a scene there, taking full advantage of the medium to suggest and reveal numerous details without spelling them out. So we see how the power begins to shift towards the women through necessity but women and men both assume that it is temporary, and continue to plan to the future as though things will resume normalcy.

I realised, reading back over this, that I am ignoring the love story, which I did not mean to do. It was a powerful one, very true, damaged people finding one another in the midst of despair and how it is enough but also not enough.

I also love how Yoshinaga continues to keep the events the same -- such as the decision to close Japan off from the outside world -- but gives the very different reasons, creating a well-aligned secret history. If the series goes forward to Perry and all, I look forward very much to seeing how it plays out, the female shogun behind the screen, the male version of Atsuhime and all.

[Miss Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh nooooooo

you would think that since this is a reread i would have been more prepared

nope. nope nope nope

how many bus rides will i spend surreptiously wiping away tears as i read about tragic things happening to good people?

TOO MANY

religious persons who act with compassion and generosity: my eternal weakness

frankly i don't know where yoshinaga gets off writing with such a clear eyed view of humanity and sympathy for the many ways people cope with trying circumstances

5 stars

[Sonic · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO brilliant! A wonderful story exquisitely rendered. Intriguing and moving, I love what this writer/artist is doing! Can't wait for volume 3!

[briz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fun, strange, imaginative story continues.

You know the male gaze? Yeah, this manga is aaaalll about the female gaze. Or, more specifically, the fanfiction gaze (which I would argue is still basically the female gaze). I read through this with great nostalgia, after each fanfic trope was rolled out: strong male/male homoeroticism, angst and hurt/comfort, plots that center around STRONG EMOTIONS and not much else, ah yes. Ah, the fanfic ways, I had forgotten about these. How I miss you, fanfic! Someday I'll de-anonymize myself and share my most excellent Obi-Wan Kenobi fic.

I mean, I guess a more charitable interpretation of this is that it's all about fluid gender expression and fluid sexuality, and it's also super feminist. But hey: SO IS FANFIC! And given that the first line of Fumi Yoshinaga's wiki is that she's known for shōjo (manga aimed at teen girls) and yaoi (boy/boy manga), well, yeah. I stand by my thesis: if you fanfic, you will definitely love this.

So this manga picks up in the same time period as Ooku Vol. 1: it's 17th century Japan, a "red pox" has killed more than half the men of the land, and the Shogun is now (secretly) a woman with a (now reversed) male harem called the "inner chambers". Like Vol. 1, our protagonist is a very pretty man indeed, called Arikoto - a traveling Buddhist monk who, because of his stunning good looks (remarked upon or the loving focus of every third panel or so), is forced to disrobe (pun semi-intended) and join the inner chambers, ostensibly as a "catamite" for the "male" shogun (actually as a stud for the female shogun). His young assistant monk (WHO LOVES HIM A LOT) also disrobes and joins him to be his valet in the castle.

Thus begineth the drama. And forsooth the awful Shakespearean translationeth. Oof.

Anyway, the shogun is a young lady (18 years old?) who is (1) kinda awful, (2) but she's had a tough life, ya know. There is a lot of drama around a kitten. Arikoto just basically emits waves and waves of golden compassion and good looks and something I like to call SOUL HONOR. Sexual and romantic tension is set to high: between Arikoto and his valet, between Arikoto and the shogun. A lot of bad stuff happens, but in the style of fanfic where it kinda feels earnest but also trivializing? Uh, trigger warning for sexual assault. (Also, fwiw "trigger warning" originated in the fanfic world, since that is actually, weirdly, also a fanfic trope: sexual assault scenes used as plot devices for additional angst/romantic tension.) Oh, here's some survey results of fanfic tropes.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This apocalyptic / dystopian manga, set during the Tokugawa period (1600-1868), is a violent, high-drama retelling with brooding characters.

First Line:

Until the early years of the Edo period, the ratio of men to women in Japan was perfectly normal, p.1

In volume two, we go farther back into to the past when the last male shogun succumbs to the redface pox. Yoshimune, the current shogun, learns how the Inner Chambers was created and the lengths one woman, Reverend Kasuga, took to make it happen.

What Dazzled: Yoshinaga does not pull punches. If she wants to kill a character, slash, she’ll kill a character. I’m counting that as a pro, because I think authors sometimes shy away from violence for a variety of reasons. The violence here shows how determined Kasuga is in getting her way, and for me it worked. Yoshinaga spends ample time showing us her characters i.e. Kasuga, Arikoto, and Chie (referred to as My Lord) by putting them in tense situations.

What Fizzled: When you begin volume two there is no indication we are diving into Kasuga’s journal “Chronicle of a Dying Day”. You have to remember this from volume one. I wish the author would have mentioned this transition somewhere at the beginning of volume two for readers like me who took a break between books.

I have to keep reminding myself this manga is called “The Inner Chambers” and that is what the author is focusing on. However, I want more. I want to know what is going on in the rest of the world outside Edo Castle. There’s really only one scene that gives us a glimpse of what it’s like for the women who are losing their husbands and male children and what they are having to do to support themselves.

There are two rape scenes in volume two. Gyokuei, Arikoto’s male attendant, is raped by two men in the Inner Chambers and never once says anything to Arikoto. This really bothered me, because the author has made Gyokuei a flat character who literally worships Arikoto. The rape happens and then is never addressed except through a brutal and graphic revenge. The other rape is also graphic and appears towards the end of the volume.

Jots and Thoughts: I’m not sure I will continue with this series. I love the retelling and the gender reversal aspects, but I’m so disappointed with the lack of world building and the narrow focus on the inner chamber. Book to try instead: Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh. I didn't think I'd cry so much because of this. This is such a bold way of presenting the complexities of sex, identity, gender roles, and the breakdown of traditions. First of all, Arikoto is such a beautiful character; he is really an angel in this story, ngl. Arikoto shows humanity and kindness wherever he goes, and that comes a long way for his arc since he is literally a former Monk. Unfortunately, he went through so much things that he really didn't deserve (he deserved sm better) but his growth and adaptability really made me fall in love with him. Such a well written character. On top of that, he is also paired up with another equally well written character, Chie. CHIE DESERVES BETTER TOO but I have to say, she did what she had to do given her circumstances. Chie and Arikoto's ending was UGH I CAN'TTTTT. Nevertheless though, I loved them both individually and together. I think the author really nailed tackling the issues of sexual identity, gender identity, norms, and more in this story without taking away the historical contexts of it. I also watched the anime adaptation for it and gosh, I was moved so much. Such a good story and I see myself re-reading and re-watching this story. 10/5.

[Cameron Sant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rough read for sure! Lots of cruelty to go around, but I’m still fascinated by this genderbent historical fiction series about a female shogun with a harem of men. I don’t know if I have 15 or whatever volumes of this left in me, but I’ll at least get the next one… 🙂

I was an anime fan as a teen when “reverse harem” anime reigned supreme (Fruits Basket, Ouran High School Host Club, etc.) where a girl would have a string of single good-looking guys palling around with her and all more-or-less secretly interested in her until she picked one. I enjoy Ooku not only as it purports to be a reflection of Japanese history (which, to be clear, I know nothing about) but also as a kind of dark companion piece to these romance fantasies. Ooku asks what it would take for such a harem to be held together with a more realistic worldview and the answer sadly isn’t the power of girl-next-door looks and a winning personality, but drastic social upheaval, political power, money, and violence. Really interesting stuff.

[Ebbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A low 3 stars

TW: animal killed be human

I had to come back and try to understand why this was set before the first book. I would have liked a small prologue just to remind myself why that was, as I wouldn't have been so lost reading it.

I think I also vastly preferred the first book. I also hate when animals are killed.

It wasn't bad, but it felt like it was mostly setting the scene for the next book, so it wasn't great either.

I also was soooooo annoyed at the whole "thee/thou" and other such style choices to convey "oldness" of the time presented. It didn't helpe understand that this was the start of the archive read by the shogun of the first book, so the purpose for it was very weak.

On to the next, hopefully it improves a lot from this one

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume takes us back in time to explain how things got to the state they were in the first volume. We hop back to the beginning of the Redface Pox which was killing off all the young men and learn of the passing of the last male shogun with no male heir, only a daughter... It's a pretty interesting story, mixing well the tales of individual characters with the larger setting of politics and history. There's also historical & translation notes at the end that help a lot.

I won't spoil the story itself, but I will leave two warnings... 1) There's a dead (murdered) cat. 2) There's rape, both of a woman & a boy.