Fumi Yoshinaga painstakingly worked on the publishing of his first-order manga “Ooku”, serialized in 19 volumes by Melody Manga of Hakusensha from 2004 till 2020. The author won numerous prizes, including the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize (2009) and the Shogakukan Manga Award (2011); furthermore, his manga inspired six live adaptations, comprising two movies and four series. Rika Nakase adapted this mysterious and intriguing story to the screen, and Studio Deen, under Takayuki Saito’s supervision, produced the series’ animation.
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During the last year of Ietsugu Tokugawa’s Shogunate (1716), Iunoshin Mizuno, the son of a poor Hatamoto, resolves to serve into the Ooku of Edo Castle. Thus, he will be able to remit part of his salary to his family, but more importantly, he will not be compelled to see Nobu, the heiress of a rich seller of medicinal herbs, every day, knowing that they have no hope of starting a relationship. Not only is Iunoshin strictly forbidden from talking about anything he can see or listen to inside the inner chambers, but he also struggles to protect himself from discriminations and abuses. Despite the fact that good looks and social competencies are the keys to social climbing into the Ooku, Iunoshin manages to gain popularity thanks also to his martial arts abilities and benevolence. However, the seventh Shogun, Ietsugu, who is already critically ill, passes away, and Nobu Ioshimune becomes the eighth Shogun and begins reforming the Ooku’s conventional regulations. The meeting between Ioshimune and Iunoshin will mark the end of the latter’s life and the beginning of a journey into the fascinating and poignant story of the origins of the Ooku social system.
The second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, established the Ooku, a special residence within Edo Castle, in 1607. The women living there served the Shogun and couldn’t leave without permission. In 1623, Tokugawa Iemitsu ascended as the third shogun, and his wet nurse and political advisor, Lady Kasuga, endeavored to bring concubines into the Ooku capable of bearing his heirs. The abbess Oman encountered the Shogun in 1639, according to the tradition. Subsequently, she was brought to Edo and housed in a different residence until her hair lengthened, after which she was sent to Ooku. Iemitsu and Oman fell in love, but they never had children. Since in the anime, counterfactual and flashback are the tools for reassessing this entire traditional background, with the exception of Kasuga and the Shogun, the Ooku is inhabitated just by men possessing exceptional beauty and intellect, among whom Arikoto Madenokoji stands out.
The episodes depict the ambivalence of the Ooku, encompassing both abominations and rectitude. Inside the inner chambers, men perform a complexity of rituals and duties, passing from the regret for the free life out of the castle to the slow addiction to the rhythms of the secluded life. But the dynamics of power foment criminal cleverness and ruthlessness, turning victims into perpetrators. However, it is also the place replete with elements, usages, and customs that unify Edo society: the refined elegance of kimonos, hairstyles, martial arts, interior designs, pottery, the community of interests as a form of loyalty towards the Shogun, etc…they are the sumptuous manifesto of a golden age frozen in that insulation from the world.
A cultivated narrative style enriches the series. Within the Ooku, the dialect of the Kyoto Court is prohibited: but even in the simple, quick but intense, lexicon and syntax of the samurai style, there are moments during which the temptation of refined metaphors introduced by Arikoto and the “I” resurfaces: these lyrical descriptions are incorporated in the screenplay without causing trouble, and they stream into the narration, enhancing its charm and originality. Compelling examples are in episode 5, during which Arikoto and Iemitsu theatrically reverse their gender roles and fall in love in tears.
The ratio of male to female distorted by the red face pox seems to imply the illusion of a matriarchal system. However, Kasuga forces Iemitsu to enter into a patriarchal system: the whole shogunate appears to survive just if she guarantees Tokugawa’s lineage. But this is not power, it is a service. In other words, if the power of Iemitsu originates from having organs for giving birth, the woman is not considered a person, but she is identified with a function. Iemitsu becomes a brilliant strategist: she completes the Shogun supremacy and nips the colonial aims of overseas nations in the bud, she turns the Ooku into a reality able to adapt to the new social context. But if, at first, the lords’ daughters pretend to be male heirs, later, when women hold positions, they still apply power within a system set by men: they maintain male roles and names, which is what triggers Ioshimune’s investigation.
Noriyuki Abe adopts an unhurried pace to convey this narrative, and his tendency to move the camera takes into the main characters’ space during their moments of innocence and sadism heightens the intimacy we feel for them.
Much praise is due to all members of the cast for making the characters charming, but special mention must be given to Mamoru Miyano for his unforgettable portrait of the protagonist. Arikoto aims to save people’s lives before saving their souls. He endures affronts, he experiences losses, he suffers damages and injustices, nevertheless he embraces all the evil and tries his best to transform it into love and compassion for others. Mamoru’s voice is filled with emotion, intensity, and passion, especially when Arikoto loves Iemitsu. The audience can get the impression that Mamoru immersed himself in the characters’ empathy, and this shows a good synergy with the director and an important freedom in acting with pauses and words. Moreover, he worked a lot on mastering the jidai-geki and making it sound natural. Eriko Matsui articulates the sourness, frustration, desperation, and fury of a character whose existence is predominantly a deception. It is possible to perceive Eriko’s expert art in changing the nuances of the words depending on Iemitsu’s psychological development: from the Shogun’s dignified demeanor, through relaxing and accidental circumstances of the daily life, to her relatedness to the world following her experience of Arikoto’s love or her motherhood.
The color design is rich and the backgrounds appear realistic; the layout of the characters is essential and exact, while the animation frequently uses the zoom in and zoom out effect to enhance the visual transitions, increase rhythm, or intensify the dramatic impact.
This series captivates the spectator with meticulous attention to realistic details of the Edo era: from the ringing bells announcing the entrance of the Shogun through the Osuzu Roka to the ceremony of pouring sake, which shows Arikoto’s empathy in assisting the geisha Kogiku. Moreover, “Ooku: The Inner Chambers” will stir deep passions and leave the audience with much to ponder about the numerous sacrifices necessary for peace and stability.
