Ōoku: The Inner Chambers

I really wanted to like this Japanese anime is a lot more. I really did. While the premise of "Ooku" is very interesting - though not quite unique - it did not manage to turn it into a compelling story.

The Good: The animation is satisfactory. The character design is also good. Use of music is not bad. The premise, as mentioned, is the strongest element, and had a lot of promise.

The Bad: However, the plot based on that premise simply did not deliver. The "action" of the entire series is simply palace intrigues, which, ultimately was boring and made it difficult to keep watching.

Without going heavily into spoilers, all that I can say is that if you are expecting to see a "what if" kind of story that shows interesting consequences to an entire civilization, you would be disappointed.

In the end, this was a mediocre story but I gave it an extra one or two stars for the premise and only somewhat interesting, albeit limited, story line.

A mysterious disease kills most of young males in feudal Japan. Women are forced to assume male work and the political rule of the empire. The male which are still alive sell their bodies for sexual intercourse or are used by their parents (usually the mother at the anime) for making money as a reproductive being. This last phenomena is explained by the desire of women of all social classes to get pregnant, because marriage and stable relationships are not possible anymore. As the society "protects" men from the disease, males become lazy, useless, weak and dependent.

Although the anime seems to have a feminist plot at the first glance, it can be read from another viewpoint. There is a balance between masculine and feminine "energy" in any society. When something disturb this balance, consequences are inevitable. At the anime, as men are lacking as workforce, women are fully capable of taking the job, but at a higher mental and physical cost. Be an independent and strong women do not resolve the loneliness of a life whithout a partner or family. Power, not gender rules the world, and the women in command (lady Kasuga) will force another women (lady Iemitsu) to suffer and be sexually ubused in order to keep political domination.

Comparing to the anime, in our real world, a "mysterious" disease is trying to kill the masculine spirit. As occurs in the anime, men are becoming lazy, weak, dependent and afraid. Our society is starting to feel the consequences of this.

In resume, the anime can be viewed as a reflexive story of the necessity of the harmonic balance between feminine and masculine. Man and woman need to work together for the development of humanity.

Japanese anime can be hit or miss for me. Sometimes the characters or themes don't work, but this wasn't the case in Ooku: The Inner Chambers. It's an interesting interpretation of female and male roles in one of the most traditional societies to be found on earth. Not only are you as the viewer given an interesting look at Japanese culture, which is always a treat when done right. You are given this view through the premise of an alternate society where female's rule by necessity and then by choice because of a strange disease that wipes out most of the men. Actual Japanese history is interspersed through this tale, so the saga feels very "real" and down to earth. I have never read the manga associated with this, and I doubt I ever will, but I truly enjoyed this anime as a fan and as a person who enjoys a good story. It's not overblown, and the themes and characters work so well in the story you find yourself just watching things play out. I hope there are more seasons because this is a well done anime and I hope to see more of it.

8/10.

I'm uncertain about how the first character we encounter in the introduction contributes to the overall story, as we never see him again after the first episode. Initially, it seems like we're following him, but then that changes. Next, we think we're focusing on another character, only to find out that's not the case either. We start to follow the current shogun, but once again, that direction shifts, leading us back to the previous shogun. It feels like a series of character setups that only leave you dizzy. I paid close attention, yet I found it challenging to keep up due to the introduction of what appears to be a main character who ultimately isn't. Ooku: The Inner Palace is convoluted and difficult to follow.

Ooku: The Inner Chambers has a very interesting premise: Edo devastated by a plague targeting only men, that inevitably brings about a reversal of roles for men and women. So the shogun is now a woman, and she is served by a 3000 men strong harem (Ooku being the name of the building where the male concubines live).

I thought that it was pretty interesting for those who are familiar with the history of Japan (Edo era), but one never really relates to the characters, so... However, just to put things right regarding a 1 star review posted some days ago, implying that having 800 concubines were never the case in East Asia: the real Ooku was home to 3000 concubines at its peak,and don't even get me started with China. The Ming Emperor, for instance, had at some point 9000 concubines (many of whom he never, ever saw).