kamreadsandrecs's review
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
misssusan's review
4.0
godddd, i can't wait for volume thirteen; yoshinaga's gotten to the point where the story's on the verge of converging with history as it occurred and i can't wait to see how she handles commodore perry and the opening of japan's ports
4 stars
4 stars
kierli's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
nonesensed's review
5.0
History marches on! The new shogun, male for the first time in generations, takes an interest in curing the red-faced pox. But will he be able to outsmart his cruel mother and win the trust of people the shogunat has wronged?
Still enjoying this! Especially this volume as it had a most excellent revenge tale. And what an ominous yet hopeful cliffhanger!
Still enjoying this! Especially this volume as it had a most excellent revenge tale. And what an ominous yet hopeful cliffhanger!
museoffire's review
4.0
My heart will always belong to the earliest book in this my very favorite manga in the world but Issue 12 is certainly an excellent one. For those following the story the time and place may be familiar but this is Edo Japan if 90% of the male population had been killed off by a vicious disease called "The Red Face Pox," a terrifying disease that has made women the dominant gender who control every facet of society.
As volume 12 begins the shogun Ienari is still subservient to his domineering and psychotic mother who now spends her days torturing her courtiers and killing off any grandchildren who annoy her. Ienari is dedicated to destroying the red pox once and for all and convinces a local doctor who came close to curing the disease years before to move to the palace and work on a cure. But his mother has eyes everywhere and she won't hesitate to remove anyone she perceives as a threat to her own security.
This volume hearkened back to the earlier, more wistfully romantic Ooku but balanced it with the sense of urgency in the country to rid themselves of the disease. Foreign powers are coming increasingly close to isolated Japan's shores and they will not hesitate to make a move on a country ruled entirely by women. As ever its also fascinating to see how the gender dynamics play out and we're finally getting at least a glimpse at how the rest of world might respond to their situation. Yosinaga very wisely doesn't simplify things. The world isn't better because women are in charge, there are consequences and hardships that result in a female dominated society where the ones in power also stand a very high chance of dropping dead in childbirth and are most likely incapable of physically fending off any serious attack on the country. She really spends time analyzing what history would have looked like in this situation and couples that with breathtaking illustrations that never fail to capture me utterly.
There's at least one more volume to go here and I'm very interested to see how Yoshinaga moves us further into Japan's modern era with the arrival of Admiral Perry. This series is an absolute treasure.
As volume 12 begins the shogun Ienari is still subservient to his domineering and psychotic mother who now spends her days torturing her courtiers and killing off any grandchildren who annoy her. Ienari is dedicated to destroying the red pox once and for all and convinces a local doctor who came close to curing the disease years before to move to the palace and work on a cure. But his mother has eyes everywhere and she won't hesitate to remove anyone she perceives as a threat to her own security.
This volume hearkened back to the earlier, more wistfully romantic Ooku but balanced it with the sense of urgency in the country to rid themselves of the disease. Foreign powers are coming increasingly close to isolated Japan's shores and they will not hesitate to make a move on a country ruled entirely by women. As ever its also fascinating to see how the gender dynamics play out and we're finally getting at least a glimpse at how the rest of world might respond to their situation. Yosinaga very wisely doesn't simplify things. The world isn't better because women are in charge, there are consequences and hardships that result in a female dominated society where the ones in power also stand a very high chance of dropping dead in childbirth and are most likely incapable of physically fending off any serious attack on the country. She really spends time analyzing what history would have looked like in this situation and couples that with breathtaking illustrations that never fail to capture me utterly.
There's at least one more volume to go here and I'm very interested to see how Yoshinaga moves us further into Japan's modern era with the arrival of Admiral Perry. This series is an absolute treasure.
meeners's review
5.0
i was about to write that it's been a long time since this series featured a really notable female character, but then realized that hiraga gennai's story arc was only 2 volumes ago. suppose it feels that way because it takes roughly a year for each volume to come out. anyhow, there's some awesome female badassery in this one - and a beautifully rendered, understated relationship in which love is figured first and foremost as companionship (rui!) - and messy life stories, which yoshinaga thankfully never attempts to contain with tidy endings - and political machinations, tipped with poison - all mapped onto an alternate history that constantly weaves in and out of the reader's expectations, to (this particular reader's) ever-growing delight.
so: business as usual, hurrah! am supremely mad at myself for packing volume 13 away in a box that is most likely still making its way across the pacific ocean; this volume ends on a spectacular cliffhanger, and i cannot WAIT to see how yoshinaga handles meiji.
so: business as usual, hurrah! am supremely mad at myself for packing volume 13 away in a box that is most likely still making its way across the pacific ocean; this volume ends on a spectacular cliffhanger, and i cannot WAIT to see how yoshinaga handles meiji.
pelks's review
5.0
Have you read "Y: The Last Man"? Did you wish that, instead of taking place in "contemporary" times, it took place in feudal Japan? Well then, do I have the manga for you!
But seriously, the already nigh-inscrutable social mores of feudal Japan are now totally topsy-turvy after a virus makes men only 1/4 of the population (and from this volume, it's hinted that this is only occurring in Japan, which is also intriguing). The author does a very good job developing a new social order based on the premise, which made this first volume fulfilling and unexpected despite some of its shortcomings and use of manga tropes.
Recommended!
But seriously, the already nigh-inscrutable social mores of feudal Japan are now totally topsy-turvy after a virus makes men only 1/4 of the population (and from this volume, it's hinted that this is only occurring in Japan, which is also intriguing). The author does a very good job developing a new social order based on the premise, which made this first volume fulfilling and unexpected despite some of its shortcomings and use of manga tropes.
Recommended!