Will Sargent reviewed Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 1 by Fumi Yoshinaga (Ōoku, #1)
Review of 'Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 1 (Ōoku: The Inner Chambers / 大奥 #1)' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
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 …
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.