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meeners's review against another edition
4.0
read this in the original japanese. precisely 5 billion people have recommended this series to me, including three of my professors, and with the movie coming out soon i figured it was ABOUT TIME i sat down and started reading it. this first volume goes pretty slowly, what with all the backstory that needs to be filled in, but it was still great fun.
brownbetty's review
3.0
Read this and don't know what I think., I suspect I would have to read all eleven or so volumes to know what I think, and I think I don't want to do that.
The premise is, in Japan, a disease has rendered the male population quite small, such that women hold all positions of authority, and the Shogun has a harem of men. Most women cannot afford a husband, and only hope to conceive a child they can raise as their heir.
So, know the premise, you might expect this to be looking at gender, maybe through a feminist lens? And yet I am not convinced this book really cares about that sort of thing. The story follows a man who enters the Shugun's harem to provide for his family. There he discovers that the harem is a viper's nest of politics, and that newcomers are (often?) subjected to rape. In the harem, the country's gender ratio is inverted, and some men rise in power inside the harem by currying favour (sexually) with higher ranking men.
Our hero (I've forgotten his name) avoids rape, distinguishes himself among the other men of the harem by being an accomplished kendo practitioner, and does a favour to the new Shogun that allows him to escape the harem and be reunited with his childhood sweetheart. So... :shrug emoji:
I don't even know if this the sort of thing that, if this is your sort of thing, will be your sort of thing.
The premise is, in Japan, a disease has rendered the male population quite small, such that women hold all positions of authority, and the Shogun has a harem of men. Most women cannot afford a husband, and only hope to conceive a child they can raise as their heir.
So, know the premise, you might expect this to be looking at gender, maybe through a feminist lens? And yet I am not convinced this book really cares about that sort of thing. The story follows a man who enters the Shugun's harem to provide for his family. There he discovers that the harem is a viper's nest of politics, and that newcomers are (often?) subjected to rape. In the harem, the country's gender ratio is inverted, and some men rise in power inside the harem by currying favour (sexually) with higher ranking men.
Our hero (I've forgotten his name) avoids rape, distinguishes himself among the other men of the harem by being an accomplished kendo practitioner, and does a favour to the new Shogun that allows him to escape the harem and be reunited with his childhood sweetheart. So... :shrug emoji:
I don't even know if this the sort of thing that, if this is your sort of thing, will be your sort of thing.
will_sargent's review
5.0
Considering how frenetic most comic books are, it was actually a surprise to read Ooku and feel the rhythm of society and daily living instead of a gunfight. There are no samurai swordsmen in Ooku, no massive drama. There's a man who goes to serve under the Shogun, and has to navigate the court intrigues that result there.
Oh, and the Shogun is a woman. And he's going to serve in her harem of men. And there are 10 women for every man, as most male children die as babies, from a sickness that's expressed in men, but only carried in women. And this happened a long time ago, long enough that most people aren't really aware of it being any different.
The result is fascinating, partly for the inversion of roles in feudal Japan, and half for the dialogue, which maps from the Japanese text, and so is in Shakespearean English. You even get to see someone called a jackanape.
Much, much better than Y, The Last Man.
Oh, and the Shogun is a woman. And he's going to serve in her harem of men. And there are 10 women for every man, as most male children die as babies, from a sickness that's expressed in men, but only carried in women. And this happened a long time ago, long enough that most people aren't really aware of it being any different.
The result is fascinating, partly for the inversion of roles in feudal Japan, and half for the dialogue, which maps from the Japanese text, and so is in Shakespearean English. You even get to see someone called a jackanape.
Much, much better than Y, The Last Man.
yonnyan's review
5.0
Wow. The commentary on this is absolutely brilliant. Written by a woman, it takes the Edo period and puts it into an alternate history with a feminist perspective. I’m extremely curious to see how the series shall develop.
geriatricgretch's review
5.0
I. Loved. This.
It was so fun and fast and the characters were all interesting to get to know and how would a society function if almost all the men died but it was isolated to that one particular country? Surprisingly politically complicated while also being funny and thought provoking.
It was so fun and fast and the characters were all interesting to get to know and how would a society function if almost all the men died but it was isolated to that one particular country? Surprisingly politically complicated while also being funny and thought provoking.
skjam's review
3.0
This gender role inversion story is interesting, though the plague that kickstarts the social changes is pretty much obviously not natural and its preciseness is a little annoying since it's obvious we won't be seeing any explanation of it in-story.
The main part of the story takes place in the Inner Chambers where the Shogun's supply of handsome men is kept. They've become a rather isolated mini-society, especially as the current Shogun is a seven-year-old girl . The first storyline in this opening volume features Mizuno, a young man who cannot marry the woman he loves, and rather than accept an arranged marriage enters the Inner Chambers to give his family a better stipend. Life is difficult in the Inner Chambers, with plenty of backbiting and politics.
But then the Shogun dies, and a new Shogun arrives, a lusty woman with a strong belief in frugality. She takes a fancy to Mizuno, only for them to learn of the horrific custom that is "the secret swain."
The next storyline deals with the new Shogun instituting cost-cutting measures with dire consequences for certain members of the Inner Chambers, and having an audience with a Dutch captain that raises some disturbing questions in her mind.
The art is good, and the writing is interesting.
For more josei manga reviews, see http://www.skjam.com/tag/josei/
The main part of the story takes place in the Inner Chambers where the Shogun's supply of handsome men is kept. They've become a rather isolated mini-society, especially as the current Shogun is a seven-year-old girl . The first storyline in this opening volume features Mizuno, a young man who cannot marry the woman he loves, and rather than accept an arranged marriage enters the Inner Chambers to give his family a better stipend. Life is difficult in the Inner Chambers, with plenty of backbiting and politics.
But then the Shogun dies, and a new Shogun arrives, a lusty woman with a strong belief in frugality. She takes a fancy to Mizuno, only for them to learn of the horrific custom that is "the secret swain."
The next storyline deals with the new Shogun instituting cost-cutting measures with dire consequences for certain members of the Inner Chambers, and having an audience with a Dutch captain that raises some disturbing questions in her mind.
The art is good, and the writing is interesting.
For more josei manga reviews, see http://www.skjam.com/tag/josei/
sashastorylover's review
3.0
I almost gave up on this volume by mid point, but then a new shogun appeared and she’s an fascinating woman, I want to see more of her.
rhymeswithnova's review
4.0
I'm glad that I gave this series a try, because I bounced off of Yoshinaga's "What Did You Eat Yesterday?" harder than almost anything else I've ever read. I'm definitely still turned off by Yoshinaga's seeming revulsion towards homoeroticism, which was present in WDYEY and is also apparent in this volume. Shrug.
emeraldreverie's review
4.0
Fascinating. Love the premise. Great art with gorgeous loving detail. Cannot wait to read more and see where it goes!
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