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Oooku  
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Description
In an alternative feudal Japan, a strange disease that only affects males caused a massive population reduction, leaving females to fill the vacant jobs, therefore changing the social structure. Now, 80 years after the initial outbreak with a 1:4 male:female ratio, Japan is a completely matriarchal society. Females hold all important political positions, and males are their consorts. Only the most powerful female--head of Tokugawa shogunate--may keep a harem of handsome and unproductive males, known as "Oooku."

Type
Manga

Related Series
N/A

Associated Names
大奥
Ōoku: The Inner Chambers
Le Pavillon des hommes (French)
Ohoku
Ooku
Ooku: The Inner Chamber

Groups Scanlating
N/A

Latest Release(s)
N/A

Status in Country of Origin
10 Volumes (Ongoing)

Completely Scanlated?
No

Anime Start/End Chapter
N/A

User Reviews
N/A

Forum
2 topics, 2 posts
Click here to view the forum

User Rating
Average: 8.9 / 10.0 (137 votes)
Bayesian Average: 8.5 / 10.0
10
 51% (70 votes)
9+
 23% (31 votes)
8+
 11% (15 votes)
7+
 8% (11 votes)
6+
 3% (4 votes)
5+
 1% (2 votes)
4+
 1% (1 votes)
3+
 0% (0 votes)
2+
 1% (1 votes)
1+
 1% (2 votes)

Last Updated
March 20th 2014, 11:31pm PST

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Genre
Drama  Harem  Historical  Mature  Shoujo 
Search for series of same genre(s)

Categories

Category Recommendations
Shounen Oujo
Take on Me
Umimachi Diary
Haruko Ichikawa Sakuhinshuu
Megatokyo

Recommendations

Author(s)
YOSHINAGA Fumi

Artist(s)
YOSHINAGA Fumi

Year
2005

Original Publisher
Hakusensha

Serialized In (magazine)
Melody (Hakusensha)

Licensed (in English)
Yes

English Publisher
Viz (9 Volumes - Ongoing)

Activity Stats (vs. other series)
Weekly Pos #684 increased(+124)
Monthly Pos #1293 increased(+93)
3 Month Pos #1466 increased(+134)
6 Month Pos #1523 increased(+71)

List Stats
On 482 reading lists
On 811 wish lists
On 26 unfinished lists
On 235 custom lists

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Forum Posts
Ōoku: The Inner Chambers Gets Live-Action Drama 822 days, 3 hours, 13 minutes ago
Ōoku: The Inner Chambers Wins Tiptree Award 1491 days, 23 hours, 8 minutes ago

Click to view the forum

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User Comments [ Order by usefulness ]
 

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avatar
 Fantastic Story, Terrible Translation   
Rating: 9.0 / 10.0
by Roaku
November 2nd, 2013, 2:23am
I enjoyed the story telling of Ooku very much. Each set of story lines are intricately linked, with the underlying human emotions that come with change and life. The author made the story compelling, exciting, sad, and at the same time wondrous. Please read some of the other commentator's for more details on the elegance of the story.

My only problem, (and its a HUGE one) is the horrible translation. Whatever the translators thought they were "creating" was absolutely abhorrent. If I ever wish to read a Shakespearian play, please I will, but the fact is: we are in an era where we do not speak as they do, so unless we are English majors, the use of olden english is TERRIBLY ANNOYING AND DISPLEASING! If the story, was any less than what it is, I'd have dropped this series entirely, even though its so good? Which IDIOT (in Viz) decided to ruin a good read for everyone? Why must we suffer, because Viz decided it would be interesting to re-live old England (with so much of it made in Scottish/Irish accents) in an otherwise Japanese setting? Its horribly inaccurate, some words are just incomprehensible, there is so much LOSS of understanding, and a waste of time! By the end of it, I had to read each bubble, then mentally translate it to proper English just to get the gist of it. PLEASE for the love of god SOMEONE RE-TRANSLATE THIS BEAUTIFUL STORY WITH PROPER ENGLISH PLEASE I BEG YOU!!!!

--And yes, I understand that Viz wanted to relate the authors original intentions, but let me remind you, Japanese, and some other languages, might not have changed altogether as much as English has. For instance I know that Russian books written some 200 years ago, can be read almost without loss of any meaning. This is NOT the same for the olden English. Almost everything is different, this isn't a factor of just some archaic 'polite speech' this is a matter of rearranging your whole head to cave in for "thooths" "thees" and "thousts"! Viz thought to translate Ooku into the piece of "artwork" they thought they were creating. But, I the reader, don't want to read their 'artwork' but a story which I can understand and comprehend. Why make it so unnecessarily hard for readers? Why do we have to sit with a dictionary, re-writing sentences just to read one manga written in our common era? I see it as unnecessary extra work being flung on me without even asking, for what the translators misguidedly though would increase the 'credibility' of the manga's setting (and don't worry, its a manga for gods-sake, I can understand its setting without having some ridiculous English from a different era and different country thrown in to 'spice' things up, k.thanks.bai :T).

... Last updated on November 2nd, 2013, 2:36am
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avatar
 Quite interesting   
Rating: N/A
by emkat
August 14th, 2012, 10:59am
It's an interesting take on social dynamics if Japan was a matriarchal society. The old modern English that the translator tries to use is kind of annoying because it's inconsistent and inaccurate though. The overall story is very unique and the art is typical of a josei.
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avatar
 words could not describe all its wonder.   
Rating: 10.0 / 10.0
by otakuness
January 22nd, 2012, 6:53am
i was perplexed. at first i was turned of with the old english language.. i kinf of imagined shakespheare going on and on in my head with a japanese accent <impossibru LOL> but that thinking was taken over by how fast paced the story telling was... no it wasnt so fast paced that you dont feel for the characters anymore but there wasnt one scenario that doesnt have any relevance to the story. i liked all the characters, how noble they were and i just love all of them.. each have his and her flaws and they are not all perfect shoujo types.. i mean sure they are pretty but.. actually the art wasnt that pretty but it was clean. clean lines every where.

the thing that got me here also is the history and boy was i a sucker for period drams, ive never been to japan but i wish that will someday and yeah gosh.. im not so sure about the accuracy but it seems legit smile) and did i mention the awesome story telling.. im only up to volume 3 and i mean,, i was having goosebumps while reading the last chapter on how it really began i mean.. so awesome.. "in order to understand a story you must first start with the beginning" so awesome. gawd... i really hope that i can have all the published copies of this in english but since online shopping is not an option i can only pray that theyll sell this in a local bookstore biggrin
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avatar
 As to why it's shoujo: it's a magazine target matter.   
Rating: 10.0 / 10.0
by elianthos
January 12th, 2012, 8:28am
Since this question still pops up a lot: shoujo (and shonen, seinen, josei) is a demographic label in Japan, not a content/genre one: Ooku is published in a shoujo magazine ( = aimed af teen females readers), hence it's shoujo. As simple as that.
Content, art and storytelling can vary wildly within such demographic: Nana by Yazawa Ai is shoujo, published in the older teen-aimed( = still shoujo) magazine Cookie. . Ooku appears to be an older teens/mature shoujo and borderline adult (in terms of readers' age) work, as the magazine hosting it... in this sense is similar to Nana, a shoujo with a crossover demographic appeal; on the brink of adult readers' demographic in Japan, and popular among both adults and teenagers in the Western world. Yet Nana and Ooku, although both of them are shoujo, they are totally different in terms of content, art, genre(s) and 'feel'.
You see? It's a bit like like the Young Adult fiction label for books in the West: you can find any kind of genres and style among such books... it's a 'cointainer' label, not a 'content' one ^^ .
Ok, now that this arguably pedantic intro is over, on to Ooku itself.
-----
This manga is a brilliant, thought-provoking and verisimilar 'what if' about politics and gender dynamics. It has many characters and manages to make them both compelling, multifaceted and fleshed out, their flaws and all. As a Westerner I find the insight into the Imperial court and the period feeling fascinating. As a history and period fiction and essays lover, the subject is just my alley.
Fumi Yoshinaga is a gifted storyteller and her drawing are deceptively simple, yet effective and evocative, regardless of her churning out yaoi, shoujo or seinen titles, but her period pieces are where this evocative yet understated/sober quality of hers shine the most imho. As such, I consider Ooku not only an excellent piece of fiction in manga form, but also her best work to date.

... Last updated on January 12th, 2012, 8:45am
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avatar
 Wonderful   
Rating: N/A
by CiellavonNightmare
December 3rd, 2011, 9:47am
I`ve been waiting forever for the scans but they never come. so i went to the next city just to find a bookstore that has it. i found it, i was so glad I hastily read the first 2 volumes. My reaction? Oh my gosh. pure masterpiece. A wonderful alternative history which actually makes sense. When I saw the `mature` tag at the cover I was even more driven to read it. But there was no explicit sensuality or violence so it`s all good. I can`t wait till I go back there next month to finish the 3-6th volumes!!!
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 What a great series   
Rating: N/A
by Tiny Lady Yume
August 13th, 2011, 6:41am
I have to say I really like this work of Fumi Yoshinaga, the art is beautiful and the style mature and elegant. The only thing I don't understand is why it is marked as shoujo because neither the art nor the story are aimed at teenage girls (though I don't doubt there are some who could like it).
I like this series together with All my darling daughters and Flower of life but I'm a bit neutral towards her yaoi works. For most of my yaoi I prefer more or less believable, yet lighter and more romantic tone...
However I bought the books of Ooku available in English and I have to say, worth buying ^_^
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 Should be Josei   
Rating: 9.0 / 10.0
by yblees
August 21st, 2010, 12:12am
I've no idea why it's shoujo either. Should be Josei genre imo.
As for the pseudo-old English speech that Viz uses in the translation...
I have no problem with it at all - and how else could you represent archaic dialogue anyway?
Modern English just can't convey how this story is taking place in a historical setting.
I say, suck it up! Anybody who did Shakespeare in high school would be perfectly comfortable with the translation. Viz have already toned it down considerably - probably for the American readers.... ;-P
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 Great quality   
Rating: N/A
by Sunaode
June 21st, 2010, 1:51pm
Was annoyed by the old style speech that was used. Usually I am all for it, but in this case I couldn't stomach it for whatever reason.

Good art, good story.
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 Hah? Shoujo?   
Rating: 7.5 / 10.0
by yuno19
April 19th, 2010, 8:40pm
Of course the drawing fit the shoujo manga. But the story?
I enjoy this story aside the drawing, 'this is briliant idea' my mind thought so. But shoujo?
Quite a paradox isn't it? Or, misfit?
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 Ridiculously brilliant.   
Rating: 10.0 / 10.0
by tartufo
February 14th, 2010, 9:45am
Seriously, how does Yoshinaga Fumi just keep getting better and better? Is she superhuman or something? Must be...

Anyway, I now own the first two volumes of this baby in English, and let me tell you - BEST PURCHASES EVER. I agree with Shoujofan that the archaic English in the VIZ translations seems kind of whacked at first - all the thee-ing and thou-ing and forsooth-ing, eep! - but then you get used to it after a while and it even starts seeming natural. In fact, it becomes part of the "lingo" of that world, part of its natural vernacular, just as the peculiar language of the novel A Clockwork Orange becomes natural to the reader. My hunch (as a non-Japanese speaker) is that in the original version, Yoshinaga must have used extremely archaic/formal Japanese, and the VIZ translators tried to recreate that effect. They kind of faltered with it at the start, but as the reader gets absorbed in reading the manga, I think it works out just fine, and just the way Yoshinaga-sensei would have intended it. The fact that you even stop NOTICING the language after a while is a mark of a master storyteller; you just suspend your disbelief and go along with it. In fact, after I finished reading the two volumes, I almost said, "Thou art most delayed, dear comrade!" to my friend who came late to a meeting. O_O The manga actually infected me, oh my God.

The best part of this manga is the world-building, which is some of the best I've ever seen, EVER, in that it so beautifully and accurately portrays human behavior in a society that is wildly different from our own. Because women now hold most of the perceived social power, society has in many ways "turned on its head," but everyone acts just the way they WOULD in such a situation. Somehow, it doesn't seem fantastical at all... The key to this lies in the fact that the world-building concentrates not on superficial physical things (like architecture or technology), but rather on interpersonal behavior, which is the true barometer of any social system. The nuances of this system are so minutely and exquisitely conveyed by the mangaka that you get completely absorbed in them, and when you stop reading the manga, it's literally like surfacing from another world. This is the kind of manga I like - the kind in which you can go "deep-sea diving".

The wonderful thing about Yoshinaga Fumi - okay, one of the COUNTLESS wonderful things - is that her understanding of human nature only matures with time, and as a result, her portrayal of it in her stories gets deeper and deeper with every manga she produces. This kind of growth in a mangaka is very hard to find, and when you DO find it, it's one of the most mind-bogglingly awesome and rewarding reading experiences ever. The little delicate shifts in her characters' expressions, postures and gestures conveys VOLUMES about their mental states, just as if they were real people; these aren't just static 2D characters with lines to read out from a script, if you catch my meaning. Instead, each one of Yoshinaga's characters is like a bonafide Oscar-winning actor in his/her own right, completely three-dimensional and believable and psychologically life-sized. You don't even think of them as characters anymore. Their pain, their tenderness, their agony, their humor in the blackest of situations and their resilience despite it all - this affecting and utterly moving humanity is conveyed in masterful pen-strokes. Oh, Yoshinaga-sensei...!

Seriously, I mean... My God. Yoshinaga's art was always graceful and subtle, but in Oooku, it has a depth and a wistfulness that somehow surpasses even her previous masterpieces. I was so stunned when I unpacked the first volume from its Amazon pack and started flipping through it, that I actually ended up standing for almost two hours with the book in my hands, right next to the side-table where I'd been unwrapping the parcel, because I couldn't freaking move. The story and the art were both so magnetically powerful that it was as though I'd been sucked into that other world, and I kind of forgot that my body was still standing around in this world, all frozen-like. Heh. I was supposed to be just "flipping through it" but I couldn't even do that; the story forced me to read every single word, to notice every single illustration, every face, every piece of clothing. This stuff is insane. (Insanely good, I mean.)

Yeah. Amazing manga.

Like Naomi said: BUY IT.

... Last updated on February 14th, 2010, 9:58am
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