Filthy Casual for Life

Ooku: The Inner Chambers
Alternate History, Fantasy, Romance

Episode 1

I just started watching his show and it has me very intrigued. The first episode is just over an hour long. It begins in a small village where a young boy races to the woods to find some mushrooms. He is suddenly attacked by a bear that is frothing at the mouth.

As the boy is brought back to the village, so is a plague that only affects males. The plague caused red pustules to cover the body and became known as red-faced smallpox. After 80 years, the population of men started to stabilize. Women outnumbered men 4 to 1. Due to the rapid decline of men, society switched from a patriarchy to a matriarchy. Marriage collapsed. Women, instead, paid for men. Women that married were considered privileged. Men became a luxury. Inside the castle were the Inner Chambers, rumored to house 3,000 of the most beautiful men to be used by the ruling shogun and only by the shogun.

We are introduced to Yunoshin, a young man that holds swordsmanship dear to his heart. He is in love with his childhood friend, O-Nobu. However, due to the status difference, they could never be together. He comes from a poor family, and she is the heiress of a herb merchant. To help out his family, he decides to become part of the Inner Chamber. In short, it is like a monastery in that each man devotes himself to the Inner Chamber and the shogun. They never leave the castle and are forbidden to speak about their life in the Inner Chamber. Before leaving, he gives O-Nobu a kiss.

However, life at the Inner Chamber is not everything Yunoshin imagined. On his first night, he is almost raped by other men. Yunoshin receives quick promotions within the Inner Chamber. He quickly grabs the eye of the shogun. She chooses him to bed her. However, there is a dismal catch. The first man to bed an unwed shogun from the Inner Chamber is beheaded after the act.

While the shogun visibly disagrees with the purpose, function, and rituals of the Inner Chamber, what does she do? I’ll leave that to you to find out.

This show effectively paints the alternate reality where this show takes place. It also does a great job of highlighting sexism. It is definitely different to see women belittle men in a way that patriarchy has for generations. I look forward to continuing this show and sharing my opinions with you!