Ôoku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 3

The third book in the series focused more on the female Shogun and her role in producing an heir to continue the Tokugawa lineage. This book really tugged at my heart, seeing the difficulties that she and Arikoto go through being in love and yet not being able to conceive an heir. It also focuses more on the gender disparities and that despite the Redface Pox, women still are simplified into giving birth to male heirs as their most valuable asset. What I loved though was the female Shogun's spirit and intelligence in both personal and political matters. Definitely a great addition in the series and I look forward to reading more.

All I have to say is, I don't think I have seen a better love story portrayed in any piece of fiction, whether it be book, movie, manga, comic, play, musical...My other reviews on this site tend to be more calm, detailed, and analytical, and I'm really not given to superlatives, but this one just has to be gushy because...wow, the feels.

Beautiful art and interesting story. Book arrived in very nice and clean condition. Thank you.

Fujoshi heaven. If you don't know what that is then this is not the book for you. Then again, if you're looking up manga then you probably already know what a fujoshi is....carry on.

Lovers of richly detailed, intricately plotted, and touchingly romantic historical manga can find no better bet than "Ooku: the Inner Chambers". In Volume Three, the love between those two "cold, hurt, bedraggled chicks", the Shogun Iemitsu and ex-monk Arikoto, has taken deep root. Unfortunately, it has borne no fruit, i.e., an heir to continue the Tokugawa rulership of Japan. And so the search for a suitably virile sire among the noble estates, dojos, and increasingly manless streets of Edo continues, led as always by the ever-conniving Lady Kasuga. Through a flashback interlude revealing the harsh circumstances that shaped Lady K's formidable character, the reader gains a measure of admiration and even sympathy for this steely, cunning, and devoted old retainer. As the Redface Pox spreads death and disaster throughout the land - and into Edo Castle's Inner Chambers! - the young Shogun, Arikoto, and the rapidly-maturing Gyokuei must prove themselves apt pupils of her lessons in manipulation and statecraft, even as their personal lives grow ever more complicated...

I am enjoying the twist on cultural norms.