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A review by mahiyaa
Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, Volume 1 by Fumi Yoshinaga
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
5.0
first manga i've ever read and i am absolutely blown away. ōoku is a breathtaking world of alternative history and i finished the first volume in one sitting. eighty years after a plague ravages medieval japan and causes its male population to be far more scarce than its women, ōoku does not shy away from its discussion of sexism, gender roles, and the classist barriers of feudal japan.
this is not a world with simple politics: while matriarchs now rule their families, they do so with a "male" name—it sounds more proper—a remnant of society from eighty years past. men of the ōoku are in a dog eat dog world, simultaneously victims and benefactors of their station. the poor are still, well, poor, and those unable to pay a groom price must find other ways to continue their families.
far from some other genderswapped histories, ōoku is thoughtful, engaging, and brutally honest in its dissection. i could not recommend it more!
this is not a world with simple politics: while matriarchs now rule their families, they do so with a "male" name—it sounds more proper—a remnant of society from eighty years past. men of the ōoku are in a dog eat dog world, simultaneously victims and benefactors of their station. the poor are still, well, poor, and those unable to pay a groom price must find other ways to continue their families.
far from some other genderswapped histories, ōoku is thoughtful, engaging, and brutally honest in its dissection. i could not recommend it more!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault