Ooku 6

Fumi Yoshinaga – Viz – 2011 – 7+ volumes

The first half of this volume covers the slow, sad death of Tsunayoshi. She’s not actually dying until the very end of her section of story, of course, but it follows her through her old age. She is ultimately unhappy with just about everything in her life, but is powerless to do much of anything about it. She wasn’t a successful ruler, a successful mother, a successful lover, nor a successful daughter, in the end. Only her best friend and adviser, Yoshiyasu, is by her side in the end, and their final scene together is a beautiful and terrible thing. It’s the sort of thing that few aside from Fumi Yoshinaga can really take advantage of. Much is left unsaid, though Yoshiyasu does give a little bit of a monologue, but the power of the story behind the action is what makes it wonderful.

Given all the empty affairs and fruitless love matches in this series, the power of the love between Yoshiyasu and Tsunayoshi, whether it was the love of friends or soul mates, is one of the best things Ooku has offered us so far. Yoshiyasu was there, off to the side, through the entirety of Tsunayoshi’s story. She was always there, and it was always clear that she would do anything for Tsunayoshi. And yet… I did not see this scene coming.

Ooku will be hard-pressed to top that scene in future volumes.

Later, we see Akifusa and her complete and utter devotion to the next shogun, Ienobu, and Ienobu’s daughter. And though Akifusa is more outspoken and devout than Yoshiyasu, the bond is just not the same. History is partially to blame, but perhaps it’s also because Akifusa is slightly too ambitious with her plans for Ienobu.

But the next part of the story is somewhat difficult to read. We know, based on the story at the end of the next volume (and also, if you happen to know anything about Japanese history) that the next noteworthy shogun is Yoshimune. So while we are waiting for young, bold, and interesting Yoshimune to enter the story, we are faced with the story of Ienobu and Ietsugu. That is interesting, because we know that they aren’t around for long, but it is a sad kind of interesting. Ienobu, at least, wants to do well, and tries her best.

With the change of the shogun, it’s a shame that an interesting new character will likely be lost. Akifusa, for sure, but a young man named Sakyo is introduced and given quite a bit of story time, and I wonder what will happen to him next volume.

Oh well, guess I’ll find out next year. Really though, while the story moves slowly and includes a lot of history that most will not be interested in, it is fascinating stuff, and Yoshinaga is a top-notch writer. She brings a lot of emotion to the Japanese history, and I must admit the gender swap for a lot of the major incidents is interesting, even without knowing anything about it. It’s not my favorite of her work yet, but it’s certainly the best, and I would recommend it especially to those who enjoy the rare “literary manga” releases from companies like Drawn & Quarterly. It’s not gekiga, but it should appeal to those interested in a more mature and involved story.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.