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pagesofpins's review
5.0
An alternate 1700's Japan in which a deadly disease affecting only men has caused a role reversal in which women are the matriarchs, and the few surviving men often bought and sold either as marital property or, among the poor, for reproductive purposes. Mizuno enters the inner courts of the now-female Shogun because he cannot be married to his love, and a life of celibacy serving under the seven year old Shogun seems better than being married off to a stranger. Many unexpected changes ensue.
ebbie_casuallereading's review
4.0
I'm in between 3.75 and 4. It's a really clever book.
I read this book a long time ago and didn't remember much of it, only bits and pieces, and back then, it didn't make that much of an impression on me I feel like.
But now, re-reading it again, I'm SUPER intrigued to read the other books of the series, which is something I haven't felt with manga in a while.
I read this book a long time ago and didn't remember much of it, only bits and pieces, and back then, it didn't make that much of an impression on me I feel like.
But now, re-reading it again, I'm SUPER intrigued to read the other books of the series, which is something I haven't felt with manga in a while.
yvesdot's review
5.0
Fans of alt-history, manga, and genderweird books alike will find something to love in Ooku, Yoshinaga Fumi’s award-winning series about a feudal Japan in which a mysterious virus has killed nearly all men of marriageable age… leaving women to run the country. If you’re down to be challenged, stunned, and introduced to a whole new perspective on Japanese history—all while drooling over beautiful period-accurate outfits—this is the series for you.
afreema3's review
4.0
There is something about this manga that is just so good, and I can't name what it is exactly. This is probably one of, if not the only, more adult manga I have read and it is scratching an itch I never thought I had. It is really interesting to see this look at gender and sexuality in a different way, and how even in a female ruled Japan men still have this almost unspoken power.
I think the only thing that puts me off is the translation, the use of an older form of English is interesting, but I'm not a big fan of it. I understand the use of it as a way to portray to the reader a bygone era that would almost be speaking a different language from the present day, but any humor or tense scenes fall flat for me. Maybe I should read more Shakespeare.
I think the only thing that puts me off is the translation, the use of an older form of English is interesting, but I'm not a big fan of it. I understand the use of it as a way to portray to the reader a bygone era that would almost be speaking a different language from the present day, but any humor or tense scenes fall flat for me. Maybe I should read more Shakespeare.
melitaylor's review
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
kamreadsandrecs's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ginnikin's review
3.0
I almost stopped before I even got to the Shogun, but Ysa convinced me to keep going; I'm glad she did. The structure of this volume is very strange; the first two thirds are very different, presumably to set the stage for the rest.
hekate24's review
4.0
Popsugar 2021 challenge: A book in a different format than what you normally read (audiobooks, ebooks, graphic novels)
This one pretty much had to be a graphic novel or manga because I read audiobooks, ebooks, and physical books (listed in descending order of regularity.) I almost never read graphic novels/manga because in the past I've had trouble following along. I didn't struggle with this one though. Maybe because I was reading this on my kindle instead of on a computer? Who knows.
Anyway, this manga involves a very interesting thought exercise. It involves a pandemic in Edo era Japan that wipes out 75% of the male population. I actually started reading this one two years ago and .. yeah coming back to it feels a bit different now that I've been through a pandemic. Pandemics don't have to be as extreme as the one in this book to shift society and throw fault liners into stark relief. It's interesting to me that this book shows women taking on positions of power, but men are still more valued in a way due to their rarity. It had me musing on gender roles in general. Gender norms vary based on society and circumstances, but a constant seems to be that most places like to enforce them. The expectations of men in this society are different than they were in actual society, but the expectations are still rigid regardless.
A couple things kept this from being five stars... as other reviewers have noted, they decided to translate a lot of the dialogue with Ye Olde Vaguely Shakespearean Speech (and this was distracting to me because saying "thee/thy" is actually an informal mode of address. Basically you would never address the shogun with this!) The end of the volume also made me realize that this volume was more of a prologue to what I assume is the real story. This was actually a plus and a minus. A minus because it cuts off right when the story was really starting to grab me, but also a plus because
All in all a very interesting read and I will most likely read more of it because I'm curious about where it goes next!
This one pretty much had to be a graphic novel or manga because I read audiobooks, ebooks, and physical books (listed in descending order of regularity.) I almost never read graphic novels/manga because in the past I've had trouble following along. I didn't struggle with this one though. Maybe because I was reading this on my kindle instead of on a computer? Who knows.
Anyway, this manga involves a very interesting thought exercise. It involves a pandemic in Edo era Japan that wipes out 75% of the male population. I actually started reading this one two years ago and .. yeah coming back to it feels a bit different now that I've been through a pandemic. Pandemics don't have to be as extreme as the one in this book to shift society and throw fault liners into stark relief. It's interesting to me that this book shows women taking on positions of power, but men are still more valued in a way due to their rarity. It had me musing on gender roles in general. Gender norms vary based on society and circumstances, but a constant seems to be that most places like to enforce them. The expectations of men in this society are different than they were in actual society, but the expectations are still rigid regardless.
A couple things kept this from being five stars... as other reviewers have noted, they decided to translate a lot of the dialogue with Ye Olde Vaguely Shakespearean Speech (and this was distracting to me because saying "thee/thy" is actually an informal mode of address. Basically you would never address the shogun with this!) The end of the volume also made me realize that this volume was more of a prologue to what I assume is the real story. This was actually a plus and a minus. A minus because it cuts off right when the story was really starting to grab me, but also a plus because
Spoiler
I was getting annoyed by Mizuno's plot armor... but then the plot twist with the secret swain (lmao) thing getting him kicked out of the ooku genuinely surprised me in a good way!All in all a very interesting read and I will most likely read more of it because I'm curious about where it goes next!
whitecat5000's review
emotional
medium-paced
1.0
DNF. Oh this was bad. The art style, the vernacular, the plot... I was not a fan.