Oooku

Edo-period Japan stands strong and proud, decades after its imminent doom was prophesied. The new shogun, Yoshimune "Nobu" Tokugawa, encounters an array of traditions that, to her modern judgment, make little sense. An epidemic exclusively rages among men, resulting in men making up only one-fifth of the population. Still, three thousand young, agile, and beautiful men serve in the Oooku—the shogun's Inner Chambers.

To unearth the origins of the existing hierarchy where women head their families and govern the nation, Nobu reviews the chronicles of the odd disease. Customs and traditions have changed to accommodate for the plague; these new laws dictate the current culture and reflect the cruel story of the first female shogun, Iemitsu Tokugawa. Most notably, these customs seem to lead back to the moment a young monk, Arikoto Madenokoji, must abandon his way of life and devote his remaining days to the shogun and her Oooku.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Madenokoji, Arikoto Main

Miyano, Mamoru Japanese

Tokugawa, Iemitsu Main

Matsui, Eriko Japanese

Tokugawa, Yoshimune Supporting

Kobayashi, Sanae Japanese

Mizuno, Yunoshin Supporting

Seki, Tomokazu Japanese

Onobu Supporting

Satou, Miyuki Japanese

no Tsubone, Kasuga Supporting

Inoue, Kikuko Japanese

Sutezou's Father Supporting

Matsukawa, Hiroki Japanese

Abe, Tadaaki Supporting

Takahashi, Shinya Japanese

Matsushima Supporting

Nakamura, Yuuichi Japanese

Narrator Supporting

Kubota, Hitoshi Japanese

Saitou, Takayuki Producer

Abe, Noriyuki Director, Sound Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Ooba, Hideaki Episode Director, Storyboard

Ezoe, Hitomi Episode Director

Reviews

Jul 1, 2023

KurochuDeviluke

Recommended

Studio DEEN has always been one of the most criticized animation studios for being too inconsistent. Sometimes they make awful adaptations with pitiful animation quality and other times they just produce brilliant and cared series like this.

Imagine that suddenly world turns around and a huge percentage of men simply die due to a pandemic disease. Women now has the power and young men became a valuable treasure due to their capacity to procreate with so many women. Even being prostituted and sold for a lot of money. And everything setted in Edo period. That's what Oooku is about.

One of the things that impressed ... me the most was how the author wasn't afraid of anything. She didn't care of any kind of controversy, she felt just free enough to draw the story she wanted without avoiding any kind of subject. Prostitution, LGTB issues, empowerment of women... Oooku is such a well-written and complete work that cover whatever you can think of.

When it comes to animation quality and sound, I have to congratulate Studio DEEN again for this. Obviously, this isn't a crazy visual spectacle like Ufotable or KyoAni shows, but the dedication that animators put on this series is clear. And the OST suits it pretty well.

To sum up, this is such an interesting and dramatic story that could get anyone easily addicted to it. Especially for those interested in historic series. It has been an amazing surprise. I really hope to see more seasons coming soon.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jul 6, 2023

AveryFB

Mixed Feelings

Informative

I Will Write Write This Review Spoiler Free

I feel very conflicted on how to rate this, on the one hand, it doesn't leave you feeling good in the end, its like My Lie In April but more depressing. On the other hand, very few anime make me feel such emotion even if that emotion isn't a good one. Oooku: The Inner Chambers is only worth watching for a very specific type of person. If you like a Tragic Romance anime that is very dark than this may appeal to you. If you are person who would like to watch an anime and not feel like ... crap than I would avoid this one.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Oct 30, 2024

OtakuGirrl

Not Recommended

This narrative unfolds during the Edo period, where traditional gender roles are flipped, resulting in a population where women outnumber men by four to one due to a devastating pandemic known as the Redface Pox, which exclusively targets young men. Over the course of 80 years, a quarter of the male population is lost, leading women to effectively govern the nation while men are left with no option but to sell themselves to survive. Conventional family structures have vanished, and marriage is now a privilege reserved for the wealthy. The plot centers around the female shogun of Edo Castle and the lives of the numerous ... men residing in its inner chambers.

I found the synopsis intriguing and was eager to watch, but the experience was quite difficult for me. The central couple faces relentless separation, with a series of tragic events unfolding, but what truly affected me were the scenes of sexual violence. I struggle with such content, making the entire series a challenging watch. I held on until the end, hoping for a positive resolution, only to be left feeling let down. If I could turn back time to avoid watching this anime, I would do so without hesitation.

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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Manga 'Oooku' Gets Anime Series in Summer 2023

The Netflix Anime Special Stage at AnimeJapan 2023 announced an anime adaptation of Fumi Yoshinaga's Oooku (Ōoku: The Inner Chambers) manga on Saturday. The ani...read more

Mar 24, 2023 9:01 PM by Vindstot | Discuss (20 comments)

	Poll: Oooku Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Mirorin - Jun 29, 2023	53 replies	by Gisilfrid »» Sep 3, 3:51 AM
	Poll: Oooku Episode 9 Discussion SabreDrago - Jun 30, 2023	10 replies	by Sun_Chan »» Aug 30, 2:02 AM
	Poll: Oooku Episode 8 Discussion SabreDrago - Jun 30, 2023	7 replies	by Sun_Chan »» Aug 30, 1:45 AM
	Poll: Oooku Episode 7 Discussion SabreDrago - Jun 30, 2023	9 replies	by Sun_Chan »» Aug 30, 1:38 AM
	Poll: Oooku Episode 6 Discussion SabreDrago - Jun 30, 2023	10 replies	by Sun_Chan »» Aug 30, 1:23 AM