大奥

OOOKU

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
19
RELEASE
December 28, 2020
CHAPTERS
79

DESCRIPTION

In Edo period Japan, a strange new disease called the Redface Pox has begun to prey on the country's men. Within eighty years of the first outbreak, the male population has fallen by seventy-five percent. Women have taken on all the roles traditionally granted to men, even that of the shogun. The men, precious providers of life, are carefully protected. And the most beautiful of the men are sent to serve in the shogun's Inner Chamber...

(Source: Viz Media)

Note: Won an Excellence Prize at the 2006 Japan Media Arts Festival and a special prize at The Japanese Association of Feminist Science Fiction and Fantasy's fifth annual Sense of Gender Awards in 2005. Won the Tezuka Osamu Cultural the Grand Prize in 2009 and the 56th Shogakukan Manga Award in Girls' Category in 2011. Was nominated for the first annual Manga Taishou in 2008.

CAST

Arikoto Madenokoji
Iemitsu Tokugawa
Yunoshin Mizuno
Yoshimune Tokugawa
Gennai Hiraga
Sugishita
Onobu
Gyokuei
Kakizoe
Matsushima
Hisamichi Kanou
Kashiwagi
Myoukei
Kasuga no Tsubone
Nobutsuna Matsudaira
Fujinami
Saburoza
Sutezou
Masasuke Murase

CHAPTERS

RELATED TO OOOKU

ONA DramaOooku

REVIEWS

Shellshock
85/100
An excellently crafted series that keeps you entertained. Also Incest. Like a lot.
Suicides, Rape, Incest, Cooking, Love triangle, More Rape, More Incest, Sex, Nudity, Violence, Socially acceptable incest, Socially unacceptable incest and Murder but enough about me. Let's talk about the manga.

The series set early in 1605 when the red pox disease that takes the lives of many men reducing the male population to 1/5th. Women outnumbering men from 5 to 1. In a patriarchal society this results in a massive shift of workforce and social behavior somewhat. The political figures become women. The breadwinners become women, the workforce in itself becomes a massive shift. This story specifically however is about the shogun. Political leaders and merchants that were originally led by men have now been replaced by women. The shogun which now have become woman. As a king or a leader of course you have an absurd of women to impregnate but with the roles reversed, the shogun now has an abundant of men to be used as stallions. These men live in the Chambers Known as Ooku. This what the manga pretty revolves around more or less.

A good aspect of the series is that you only need to read volume 1 or not to realize whether or not this manga is worth reading. Though the manga does get better it really is more of what you see in volume 1 with more characters and bigger twists and higher stakes. Its fantastic and exceptional. Genuinely I have not enjoyed a manga as much as I have in quite a long time.

The series revolves around the shogun and there love interests essentially. The main shogun (FMC depending on which year) and either the consort or Main concubine (The MMC). Now the reason I mention depending on the year is because the series does not actually have a main character. It spans an era of 300 years in 19 volumes. We go through so many characters it can become a mess but its so continuously engaging as well.

The 3 big issues I have is that, There is no Main character, No 1 person journey to follow, The dialogue is incredibly dense. If you have read western comic books you know what I'm talking. Each volume that takes me 20 minutes to read would take me 1 hour or more to read. Not to mention each volume is 220+ pages. It can get literally exhausting read that much. I recommend a bottle of water next to you and of course the reason you might have heard before. The archaic use of the Language. Old english does not bode well. But personally this is not a big deal. You can understand the words via the context given. I do believe there is very little usage of the Old English as well especially in the later volumes. Perhaps this is a show of the fact that the world in the manga has changed. So pretty clever but irrelevant as well.

There is a lot to unpack about this series. The male characters suffer from the red pox disease so we have less men and more women that need to step up. I'm a bit disappointed in the role reversal though tbh. Maybe it was the author's point that power and money is what changes the world not the gender but regardless there is a little change. Since men did most of the heavy lifting type work they have set a precedent on how much work needs to be done. To make up this gap there has been slight technological advances to gain the same rewards as men but that was it.

The characters are by far the most enjoyable aspect. Each character has a finesse or is followed by character development that makes them have finesse. It is such a joy reading each story about every character. Like I mentioned before there is no main character but there is tons of individual arcs to follow. Some of the stories you read are insane filled with incest, rape and just a whole bunch of addictive nonsense. It is an excellent that takes its time (perhaps too much sometimes) to develop and showcase each character's individual personalities and characteristics and this is exactly despite not having a main character, each character went through that I wanted to see fully.

There is a character that is no nonsense business. Dealing with political rifts while giving birth to a baby. A women in love with her mother's lover, A women molested by her father and it just goes on. Either with events that occur to them, or be the events that occur due to them shift them into the character they become and we see that change and its glorious.

When we get a stereotypically unattractive character that is meant to be the focus the series focuses on other things such as cooking with a more sexually enticing cast instead. The political battles are just as entertaining but it is more hard to keep track due to the confusing names and similar character designs that some characters end up being plagued by.

I also love the costume designs in this series. the costume designs are chefs Kiss. Fantastico in every way. So many call backs when you least expect it. The series hooks you in far deeper than i anticipated.

Also Threesomes. Not tell me this series isn't a masterpiece.

I love this series I really do. This is why I read manga. Yeah it has its problems but these are nitpicks in regards to overall quality. I truly believe this is one of the better manga I have read to this day. Do yourself a favour and read this manga.
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DildoBaggins
100/100
An epic with immense heart.
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 men of 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.
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nephilimk
100/100
Let me invite you to a Japan ruled by female Shoguns
Disclaimer: Please be aware that this is not actual history but a 'what-if' scenario developed over the course of the Edo period. The review is written cognizant of this fact and does not claim any of the events over the course of the manga to be true. With that out of the way, have a fun read.

Historical manga are some of my favorite works in the medium, with series such as Sangokushi, Kamui den, Historie, to name a few. My relationship with them tends to be quite painful, in no small part, due to them often being in hiatus hell or not picked up for translations due to lack in popularity. That was one of the driving factors in me learning French in the first place due to their voracious appetite for comic books in general. But I digress! Back to today’s focus. Ooku was a series something I first heard back over a decade back on account of the fact that it was well received and had won several prestigious awards over the years. Coupled with the rather unconventional plot, it stayed in my mind as something I would like to experience in the future. It was only recently that I came to learn that I could find it online. With the increasing free time due to IRL reasons, I figured now was the time to check it out. And I'm glad to say that the experience was truly phenomenal. In subsequent passages, I will try to present my thoughts on the work.

Ooku is at its heart a historical fiction, wherein, the reader is presented a what-if scenario (which is detailed in the synopsis), with one of the main questions being, what if, the driving reason for the Tokugawa’s policy of isolation was not political or economic, but rather due to a widespread disease, albeit affecting men. Given the ravages of COVID a few years back, it is quite believable a premise. Japan is devastated and men are slowly relegated to a subordinate role, with women taking up every role, including the government. This process at the highest level is done covertly but becomes more and more overt and the transition is complete. Men are not protected, out of concern, while women steer the fate of the nation.

Central to this transformation of society, is the Tokugawa Shogun. We cover a period of close to 250 years where we are brought into the midst of the inner chambers of the Edo castle as we get to explore the impact of this epidemic over the psyche of the nation and its women at the top. Originally, brought in out of political expediency, these women Shoguns must navigate a myriad of machinations in court, governing the country and ensuring The State continues undisturbed. And in this journey, Japan is also a participant in the world stage, though limited and reluctant. Europe is on the ascendence, and Japan must do its best to hold back the tide, until society restores to normalcy, if it ever will. Suffice to say, the women in power have their work cut out.

In this, Ooku excels. Yoshinaga has a great understanding of Japanese history and melds this beautifully with the travails of the Tokugawa family. We, as the readers are aware of the decision-making and the personalities behind them. And though I focus on this point, due to my affection for history, Ooku at its core is about relationships. We are exposed to different strata of society to understand the devastation of this disease. The changing population dynamics lead to change in relationships, and this is even more evident in Edo. The Shoguns often must give up on true relationships to assure continuity of the dynasty. A consequence of this detached nature of government leads to individuals who are fragile, both mentally and physically, and strive for true companionship, but to no avail.

This fragility is delightfully conveyed by the art in the series. Backgrounds are done tastefully, bringing a shojo aesthetic to the series. The character art however suffers from this, with some of them looking very similar. But this is to be expected given the vast timespan covered in the series. The Kimonos, ostentatious at the start of the series, is overshadowed by one, almost representing this series itself. The Kimono in question is black with a river pattern with swirls in silver, seemingly indicating that as with a river with its meandering ways, there is no one straight path. We must adapt to the situation and times around us to be resilient and overcome adversity. This is evident through the excellent cast, both female and male, that we get to see over the course of the series. They push and pull against each other, but at the end of the day, come together to help each other.

Over the course of the read, I found myself surprised time and again with the fact that the manga is only 19 volumes long. Part of it could be driven by wordiness and style of the dialogue in the manga. The English translation of the series uses an antiquated form of English at the start, making way for a more practical use of the language. And this was something I appreciated as this evolution in language over the course of history was something I haven’t necessarily seen in a lot of series. Kudos to the series on that.

The series end as Japan is on the cusp of modernization and you, as the reader, will come to appreciate the journey and the individuals which helped Japan to bounce back from that epidemic. And although a what-if scenario, I for one, will cherish this series deeply, and reminisce fondly of the times when Japan was ruled by female Shoguns.

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