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unavoidableheadaches's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
mastersal's review against another edition
5.0
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.
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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.
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.
megankateabraham's review against another edition
4.0
The illustrations are beautiful and the story is gripping. Highly recommended for history lovers - even if this is a re-imagining of Japan's shogunate!
therealkathryn's review against another edition
4.0
This second in the series turns back toward the early days of the red pox and the first female shogun.
brakebills42's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
melitaylor's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
pagesofpins's review against another edition
3.0
Begins the story of how the shogunate made the transition from male to female in the wake of terrible disease. OH, YOU POOR PEOPLE, YOUR LIVES ARE WRETCHED.
ebbiebooks's review against another edition
3.0
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
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
kamreadsandrecs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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? Yes
5.0