Journal Entry 1 by laevina from Denver, Colorado USA on Monday, December 07, 2009

The second book is out for Fumi Yoshinaga's Ooku: The Inner Chamber. It's a great manga and this edition is quite exquisite.


Viz Signature info
Simon & Schuster info 

Journal Entry 2 by laevina at Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Released 3 yrs ago (1/27/2010 UTC) at Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases

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off into the wild . . . 

Journal Entry 3 by azuki from Miami, Florida USA on Thursday, February 11, 2010

Thanks, it has arrived. While I on a few books already, can't help reading a few pages here and there, and it sure looks like it will be as good as the first! Thanks so much for introducing me to this great series, as, without cute girls/guys and flowery stuff, it likely is not a series I would have picked up on my own. 

Journal Entry 4 by azuki from Miami, Florida USA on Friday, February 19, 2010

Wow I have to say vol 2 is even better than vol 1. Both are great, and there are some recurring themes, but vol 2 is more intense. I thought the story will pick up where vol 1 leaves off, in some way it is, and isn't. It takes place at an early time frame than vol 1, and can very much be enjoyed as a stand alone volume.
Thanks so much again for sharing this exquisite manga. I have spacedog's address already and this will head out next week. 

Journal Entry 5 by spacedog from Cambridge, Massachusetts USA on Tuesday, March 02, 2010

got yesterday. will prob. get to it in the next week or so. 

Journal Entry 6 by spacedog from Cambridge, Massachusetts USA on Tuesday, March 16, 2010

i enjoyed this. a bit too similar to the first book, but it kept me interested enough to want to read the 3rd one. i can't believe this is going to be a 10-volume series! will be mailing shortly.

by the way, if anyone's interested in yaoi or x-men bookrings, let me know! 

Journal Entry 7 by lils74 from Kathmandu, Bagmati Nepal on Friday, April 02, 2010

This arrived at the post office today, safe and sound. Thanks for sending it, spacedog. This looks like a fun read--my first real manga! 

Journal Entry 8 by lils74 from Kathmandu, Bagmati Nepal on Friday, April 09, 2010

Finished this a few days ago (sorry for not journalling sooner) and I was very impressed. I signed up for the ring as I had never read manga and was curious. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with quality of the plot and the beauty of the art. Now I'm curious to read number 3! Does anyone know when it will come out? Thank you, laevina, this is something I really enjoyed and would never have read without you and bookcrossing! 

Journal Entry 9 by lils74 from Kathmandu, Bagmati Nepal on Sunday, April 11, 2010

Sent a pm off for the address of the next participant, and am still waiting for the reply. I'll send it off as soon as I get it. 

Journal Entry 10 by lils74 at to next participant, a ring/ray -- Controlled Releases on Sunday, April 18, 2010

Released 3 yrs ago (4/18/2010 UTC) at to next participant, a ring/ray -- Controlled Releases

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Mailed off today to iiwi in the Netherlands. Thanks again for organizing this GREAT bookring, laevina! 

Journal Entry 11 by iiwi from Utrecht, Utrecht Netherlands on Wednesday, May 05, 2010

It was in the mailbox the day I arived from new York. 

Journal Entry 12 by iiwi from Utrecht, Utrecht Netherlands on Monday, May 10, 2010

Finished in two settings in bed. It is still enjoyable although the story did look like the first volume. 

Journal Entry 13 by okyrhoe at Athens, Attica Greece on Monday, May 31, 2010

Arrived in Athens!

Thanks laevina for including me in the ring, and iiwi for posting the book to me.

I hope it's OK if I hold onto this until vol. 1 arrives so I can read them in order.

Update Sept 20 - Contacting Esme-Weatherwax now for their address. 

Journal Entry 14 by okyrhoe at by post, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Monday, September 27, 2010

Released 2 yrs ago (9/27/2010 UTC) at by post, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases

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On its way to Esme-Weatherwax. Enjoy! 

Journal Entry 15 by Esme-Weatherwax at Limerick, Co. Limerick Ireland on Saturday, October 09, 2010

Just got it I have a few books ahead of it. Thanks Okrhoe for the postcard and bookmark :0) and thanks to laevina for having this book ring 

Journal Entry 16 by Esme-Weatherwax at a fellow BookCrosser, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA on Friday, January 07, 2011

Released 2 yrs ago (1/7/2011 UTC) at a fellow BookCrosser, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA

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Off across the pond, Sorry for the delay. The book came as I was walking out the door to be away for a week and I put in down and forgot I had it until vol 3 came. Again I am sorry about the delay.  

Journal Entry 17 by Esme-Weatherwax at Limerick, Co. Limerick Ireland on Monday, January 10, 2011

Ok I waited a bit to write up my reveiw b/c I did not want to give any thing away. I really enjoyed this volume. The main thing that I did not like was the translation. It got annoying. I really enjoyed the fact that the author took things that really happened in history and made it to fit into her story. I also liked the bit in the back where things in the story which non-Japanese people might not get is explained. The artwork is also really enjoyable. The story is very dark and gritty at places but that is life.

SPOILER below:

I really like the fact that the author understand psychology pretty well. For example the fact the the Lord makes her man go around and cut off women's hair b/c she had the something done to her, a is forced to live like a man, is dead on. She was shamed and wanted to shame others to get rid of her own shame. I must be honest the rapes in the volumes at times made me shake my head. However, that is what happened not only then but now. It is very real this work of fiction. If in deed the events of history had happened as stated in the manga, I can see it happening the way the manga portrays it or close to it.

End of Spoiler:

I am really enjoying this series so far it is not my favorite manga series, for I have to read it all for a final judgement, but I have a feeling it will fall in my top five if not my top 3. I really look forward to reading the next volumes. And thanks laevina for having this ring and making me aware of this series!  

Journal Entry 18 by 1010nabulation at Hayward, California USA on Friday, January 21, 2011

I just received this book! Not sure how exactly, but it ended up in a shipment from Amazon France! Definitely a huge surprise, and a welcome one; I'm a huge manga fan. I'd seen Ooku on the shelves at my local bookstore recently and was thinking about picking it up... apparently I was meant to read it. Kind of makes me believe in fate, heh. :)

Anyway, I'm utterly new to this whole BookCrossing thing but it looks like a TON of fun, so I can't wait to read Ooku volume 2 and pass it on to someone else soon! 

Journal Entry 19 by 1010nabulation at San Jose, California USA on Thursday, January 27, 2011

Released 2 yrs ago (1/27/2011 UTC) at San Jose, California USA

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Released to k00kaburra by hand today at noon! :) It was lots of fun meeting you, and I really hope you enjoy the book! 

Journal Entry 20 by k00kaburra at San Jose, California USA on Saturday, January 29, 2011

This book had a pretty interesting time getting to me, but thanks to 1010nabulation I've got it now and I've read it.

Since the second volume of Ooku jumps right into the story with no re-cap of the first story, I was confused for a minute. These weren't the characters I remembered from the past volume! Then I realized that there had been a time shift, and we were now at the beginning of the plague that killed off Japan's men, before the society had begun to shift away from it the traditional Japanese samurai/male-dominated world we're used to. The 'origin' story of the female shogun line is pretty good, and of course the art is still lovely.

Thank you so much for sharing this series, laevina! 

Journal Entry 21 by 1010nabulation at Hayward, California USA on Sunday, February 06, 2011

This review is a little late, sorry! Grad school started and is eating all my free time (not that I'm complaining... much!).

I enjoyed Ooku Volume 2, and as someone who's never read Volume 1 I can say that it stands alone quite well. It seemed like a self-contained arc and got me curious to see how this volume differs or is similar to previous and future volumes. I liked that this book was an apocalyptic alternate reality, something I usually associate with futuristic sci-fi, but set in feudal-era Japan. It's unique! The characters were interesting and had good development; the emotional twists were excellent. The plot was well-formed and handled with depth; despite the fantastic premise it didn't become corny at all. And the art style was gorgeous! The only thing I didn't much like was the translation. I'm sure the translator was trying to evoke language from another time period through the pseudo-Shakespearean dialect used, but it was jarring in conjunction with the very Japanese setting. Still wouldn't stop me from reading more, though. :)

Many thanks to the fates for delivering the book to me! (Still no idea how that happened. Maybe Customs had a hand in it?) And to laevina for starting the book ring! 

Journal Entry 22 by laevina at Denver, Colorado USA on Monday, February 21, 2011

Book back home! 

Journal Entry 23 by laevina at By postal mail, International Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Sunday, May 01, 2011

Released 2 yrs ago (5/2/2011 UTC) at By postal mail, International Bookring -- Controlled Releases

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off into the wild . . . to Tsjara today 

Journal Entry 24 by Tsjara at Assendelft, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Sunday, June 05, 2011

Got it! ^_^ (took a little detour to my old home :p). I do have a couple bookrings in front of this, but will get to it as soon as I can. Thanks for sharing the book laevina! 

Journal Entry 25 by Tsjara at Assendelft, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Saturday, July 09, 2011

Released 1 yr ago (7/8/2011 UTC) at Assendelft, Noord-Holland Netherlands

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Really liked this one, perhaps even more than the previous one. I was a bit confused at first.. and wondered where we were in the story (but then remembered that in the previous book they were trying to find out how it all started, with the disease and the country ruled by women.. pretending to be men?). It also seemed a bit darker than the previous one (with all the slaying, rapes, and blood.. and that poor kitty). But the ending made up for it :P. The language use was still a bit strange, though I got used to it after a while, and the drawings are very nice.



Mailed this to Elddau1 yesterday. Hope you'll enjoy it! 

Journal Entry 26 by Elddau1 at Yass, New South Wales Australia on Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Received on Monday, a sunny winter's day in New South Wales, Australia.
Thank you Tsjara for sending it all this way around the world. 

Journal Entry 27 by Elddau1 at Yass, New South Wales Australia on Saturday, July 30, 2011

Rating: 8.5*
This was a very good but confronting read. It was very strong and powerful. Some of the scenes were almost too much and I questioned whether I wanted to continue with the series. Perhaps if I didn’t have volume no. 3 waiting at hand maybe I would have left it there. I wondered at the mind of the author to imagine some of the scenes.

But the end redeems it (and I‘m happy to say the next volume is not quite as confronting).

*** So a strong warning that
THIS BOOK IS RATED M18+ ***
with violence and sexual violence and cruelty to animals.
 

Journal Entry 28 by Elddau1 at Federation Square in Nicholls, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Saturday, July 30, 2011

Released 1 yr ago (7/30/2011 UTC) at Federation Square in Nicholls, Australian Capital Territory Australia

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Taking to the July get-together for BookCrossers & friends at Adore Tea teahouse in Federation Square for another manga lover.
This will do the rounds of any Canberra readers and then contact laevina for the next move.
Cheers and Good Reading!

Added: given to Hotfrog 

Journal Entry 29 by Elddau1 at Yass, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, October 06, 2011

Picked up by Hotfrog,
then to: D-face, rmjwold?
and back to laevina
 

Journal Entry 30 by Hotfrog at Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Saturday, October 29, 2011

I have enjoyed reading the Ooku books, not having come across manga before.
Taking to BC meetup in Canberra to pass on to D-face 

Journal Entry 31 by D-face at Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Sunday, February 05, 2012

Picked up from HotFrog at meet up held at BOtanic Gardens. 

Journal Entry 32 by D-face at Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Wednesday, February 15, 2012

The second in this manga series presenting an alternate Japanese history where the men are lost to a pox disease so that women have to step into their roles. This volume is a prequel to the first volume ad explains some of the issues that arose in that story. A Buddhist monk coming to pay his respects to the shogun is captured. Initially unaware that there has not been a male shogun for some years, he is compelled to join the harem with a hope of siring a son. He comes to love the hot-tempered empress but is unable to bring her a son. However through his wisdom and compassion he comes to play a prominent role in Japan’s alternate history.

The artwork is quite beautiful, but there is often very little to distinguish characters so that the story needs to be closely read to determine if it is a male or female character – of course this supports the underlying premise that in this society the sexual roles and attitudes can be reversed.

Endnotes help to explain the historical aspects and references.

A very enjoyable series, somewhat explicit content at times dealing with rape, murder and killing of kittens.
 

Journal Entry 33 by laevina at Denver, Colorado USA on Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Book home. Thanks for sending it from China! 

Journal Entry 34 by laevina at St. Mark's Coffeehouse in Denver, Colorado USA on Sunday, November 18, 2012

Released 6 mos ago (11/18/2012 UTC) at St. Mark's Coffeehouse in Denver, Colorado USA

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off into the wild . . .