You're Sleeping On THIS Anime

[@angiew4558]

I gave this anime a try on a whim, got sucked in completely, and finished all episodes in 2 days. It was heartbreaking but lovely and compelling. I agree that for an anime to be successful it needs more time to breathe and catch on but I have to admit I prefer to actually watch anime in chunks of several episodes at once so personally it works out for me. (But of course I’m always rooting for the creators of anime to be recognized and their works to become popular and for the money side to work out well enough for them to be able to keep creating.)

[@lasttimeimaskingyouthis]

Ooku is still my favourite anime of 2023. It may have not had a steller animation, but the voice actors and the storyline was enough to keep me engaged. I cried in the end for arikoto and iemitsu. Will rewatch it again next year to read the rest of the story in the manga. Thank you Colleen, you are the reason why I picked up shoujo and josei manga last year ☺️

[@Misa.misato]

You’ve done a really good job selling me on this series, but I refuse to give Netflix my money so I’m just gonna read the manga instead. 😅

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

That is very fair 🤣🤣

[@Symaethis]

🏴‍☠🚢

[@angelina_allanson8759]

u could alway just become a pirate

[@PinkNymphetamine22]

I've read Ooku The Inner Chambers when you talked about it months ago on another video and it's been a treat so far. The anime too fills a void, but indeed in spite of the mixed bag it is, I want it to triumph so hard, even if it's been clearly set up to fail under these circumstances. Thanks for talking about Ooku's anime, it really needs the attention.

[@Tuvella1]

I was like "Surely Colleen is extravagating how bad the animation is in that kiss scene for a dramatic effect" - the kiss scene starts - me: oh god. oh no.

[@Tuvella1]

despite some awkward animation I'm totally sold on this show! I really need to watch it. I tried to read the manga but it was kind of hard to follow. it felt like it was just talking heads page after page. stuff like that is a huge deal breaker for me when it comes to comics.

[@thais_cdm]

I watched the first episode not really knowing what to expect (other than the general premise), and then I binged the entire series at once and insisted my partner watch the first episode. I now have the manga on my list to read! I have noticed that the other Netflix release a bit later, My Happy Marriage, has gotten a lot more talk than Ooku, and it's being released weekly.

[@Angglio]

I hated Netflix binge model, so I watched this weekly. Started on June 30 and just finished now. If other shows are carried by animation, Ōoku is carried by great character writing, amazing plot and a deep message. I’m actually curious what happened to the female shogun we met on the first episode, I wonder what her reaction was.

[@SecretIdentityStudio]

Ouoku got missed by so many people because of its late start date, but I hope people will start watching it now! Thanks for talking about it!

[@nadithyaweerasinghe6741]

i love finding new recs because of your videos

[@adriennfloratoth8512]

This anime is seriously the most underrated one I've ever seen. Its magic lies I think in its sweeping grand scale, like one of those old novels I've read. We get to see all the massive societal changes happen throughout the years, if we count the first episode-movie, generations (centuries?). The characters themselves can only react to the situations that they are placed in their fates are pretty much sealed by their respective environments. All their efforts are vain in the face of forces stronger than them, which gives the series such a tragic feeling (For instance Arikoto getting stuck in the Ooku against his will and never leaving, or Kasuga's inability to maintain the status quo despite all her efforts, etc.) I've never encountered an anime similar to this, its so unique. I love it and no series ever made me cry this much. This was a dumb rant from me. Oh and by the way. I learned of it from you a while back (I don't know which video), so thank you.

[@noahdor3142]

After you dropped the thumbnail I watched the whole thing and I thought it was amazing. Cant wait to read it. And thank God you said something about that kiss, when it was happening I started yelling no at the screen.

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

It is so jarring 😭😭😭

[@wormskink]

i started ooku after an earlier reccommendation from you and im SO GLAD i did !!!! it truly gutted me it is such a rich and well done story. im so glad the anime felt like it did it justice and hope lots of people find this video and give it a shot because it really deserves it

[@60508]

Gah it's on my to watch list, but at teh 7 minute mark I have elevated it to the next thing I sit down and watch, and once I have I will return to watch the rest of this!

[@michelleweilenmann8619]

Loved Ooku anime!! i also recommended it a lot, voice acting, music, characters, story, everything was really interesting to watch, thank you for making this video! When i wanted to continue the manga, the English old writing was really difficult for me to follow as eng is not my first language :(

[@WhatsBliss]

I loved this manga and was shocked when it was adapted into an anime. Stuffy, somewhat obscure, historical AU fiction that is also definitely more targeted at women than men and isn't actually all that titillating? It will never happen. I thought I was hallucinating when it popped up on Netflix. I was even more surprised when my straight, cis male partner freaking loved it and started recommending it to his friends. I might even be able to get him to read the manga.

[@noishfanboy1141]

yk as someone who was first introduced in the anime the fact that my investment wasnt changed even a bit by the chapter 6 "kiss" shows just how good the drama in this series is. Seriously to all those who are dissuaded by the animation i dare you to watch the episodes back to back. The pacing and the drama hits you like a truck and i had to stop myself from watching it in one go because I was gonna end up looking really depressed on my first day of school lol

[@Money_D_Luffy]

Great video. This anime is in the discussion for sleeper hit of 2023. Very thought provoking and powerful story 💪 The artwork in the manga is also stunning.

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

I feel like the general art style from the manga was seen in the series but man that animation did it no favors.

[@maxaroni39]

I was already planning on giving Ooku a watch, but your recommendation has completely sold me on it! I found it really interesting how you discussed that even with a majority population of women in the anime's world, the patriarchy still has some control over it. Will definitely be checking Ooku out ASAP!!

[@RilSil]

I love this serious and I’m happy that finally somebody speaking about it. I really enjoy your analysis was great thank you

[@badger-1984]

I've had the manga on my tbr for such a long time and after watching this I really need to find time for it soon. Especially since it'll make up for some of the animation shortcomings

[@kingdomhreats23]

This anime is something that if you not looking for it it won’t be good

[@caitlinharvie2633]

I loved this series and was so sad feeling like it was overlooked! Thank you for showing people what they have missed 🖤

[@charlotteras6209]

So happy your covering this! I loved this anime❤

[@alandoodles]

This is quite intriguing. I will definitely go to watch this later on once I have time.

[@NaritaZaraki]

This has been on my TBR for ages. I guess it's time that I finally actually get to it. Great video as always! ^_^

[@Hobikage]

Ooku is probably in my topic 10 anime now!

[@katarinaclaes96]

Awesome video as always keep up the good work I'll have out these Anime and give them a watch.😁💜👍

[@chillynight201]

Well I hadn't heard of it indeed! I'll try watching it when I get the chance

[@itenelhak]

I binged it the day it came out. I remember you recommending the manga a few months back so when I learned it was getting an anime I marked the release date on my calendar. The story is so ironic and interesting. I love it. I also started reading the manga soon after. And you're right, that kiss scene was way much better in the manga.❤

[@UnstoppableAdam]

Thank you so much for making this video! I'm a huge Ooku fan, and while the anime adaptation could have been better, I am still very happy it got one at all. However, due to the Netflix batch release, I've really felt that it really got overlooked for all the other seasonal anime. My Happy Marriage got the weekly treatment from Netflix and seems to be doing super well, and I wish I could say the same for Ooku. Here's hoping for future seasons. If Volumes 8-10 get adapted one day, that would make me so happy as those volumes are absolute perfection.

[@blinkandarmyforlife3007]

I was in love with this anime the first time watched its trailer. Truly an amazing story♥️♥️♥️

[@LateNightBoba]

I really liked all the points you made in this video. The premise for this manga and anime is very interesting. I don't know how I missed this show on Netflix but I'll definitely give it a watch. Also I love the small microphone you use lmao 😄

[@tucalicuban]

I loved this anime!!! I was incredibly touched in many scenes, even cried. I was fully blown away.

[@smudge8882]

This was a fantastic analysis! I hadn't heard of this one but now I'm excited to watch it. :)

[@m.i7211]

Colleen you always feature the best shows. My mom got really into Ooku because of the live action tv drama and I’d been wanting to give the manga a try, but I didn’t know there was an anime adaptation as well. There’s an anime called Carole and Tuesday that I like but is practically unknown because it’s stuck in Netflix jail just like Ooku… It’s such a shame really. Just one thing though, to pronounce the word Ooku accurately your tone should rise for the second o compared to the first o. Sorry to be nitpicky😅

[@janirairizarry7198]

I saw it when it came out and the first episodes were strange but after they start relating the origin of the current status I got hooked!

[@beckyginger3432]

This has got to be one of my favourite "gender plague" genre. It's excellent the understanding of gender and power is so clever

[@mushroomlena]

Ooku wrecked my heart and ripped me apart. It was so painful to watch, but so excellent in story, characters, and attention to historical detail. It is definitely no feminist utopia. And of course, my favorite voice actor, Mamoru Miyano, is incredible as always. With so much nuance and pain to his voice. While the anime has some budget cuts animation wise, I think it’s beautiful and easier to get through than the manga. I’ve tried to begin the manga for years but the translation is in a very old way of speaking and the winding historical names and facts to keep up with can be confusing. The anime is much more digestible and easier to understand the full story path. I hope they adapt the rest of the series. Recommendation for others who want an equally painful story: Berserk. And if someone wants another historical manga that has been long running with insane attention to historical detail: Kaze Hikaru.

[@GCoda]

Thanks you! For some 🏴‍☠ reason i watched only first episode, i thought it was a movie, i though i need to wait a year for a next part

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

Lucky you, you have 9 more episodes to watch lol

[@ZiggyGamma]

First. I'm excited to tune into your thoughts on this anime

[@souhasaal594]

Finally a review of the anime ! Thanks

[@lemon5000-tj6nv]

didnt get to watching this when it came out cuz i was burnt out from watching anime at that point, might take a look after catching up after what i missed this and last season

[@marianelavasquez747]

Ooku es mi anime histórico favorito del 2023, me encanta como la autora va mezclando los hechos históricos reales en la historia, independiente del genero, se producen los mismos excesos del poder. Me da mucha pena la historia de Arikoto...supongo que la autora quiere mostrar como en muchas obras y en la historia real, muchas mujeres fueron llevadas a la fuerza para estar con el shogun/emperador o rey u hombre de poder. Ooku muestra los mismos excesos que se van produciendo en la historia, independiente de quien este en el poder. La primera shogun Iemitsu es una persona sola y tiránica que no sabe como lidiar con el poder, ya que las circunstancias la llevo a ese puesto y su mano derecha quiere a toda costa llevarla por el camino ya trazado. Es muy interesante el anime y como la autora presenta su obra. Ojalá sea editada en español, para poder tenerla en físico también. Me encantan tus videos y muchas gracias por tu aporte, ya que he descubierto muchas obras nuevas que leer, gracias a estos. Saludos.

[@titoleon3101]

16:41 I couldnt stop laughing for a while. Reminded me too much of Spaceballs.

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

To be compared to Mel Brooks in any way is an honor 😌🙏

[@Joohorn]

I just read the first two volumes of the manga and wasn't sure if I should continue (they're pretty expensive) and this video came just in time. Could've been just my expectations, so I'll check out the anime and see if I'll continue reading!

[@rottingghosts]

I definitely shed a few tears on is the bus this morning as I finished the anime 🥲

[@verysilentmouse]

you had me alternative history then super keen for the voice actors pity about the animation

[@strawberrired]

At the beginning of the video I was all "you had me at Mamoru Miyano", but now I think I'll just let you have your privacy. 😅I'm too old to keep up with new season anime so I usually always look at things late and love getting recs of quality stuff, will add this to the list for sure!

[@elejah4011]

Really great anime that immediately made me read the manga!! I love good sorrowful political corruption and commentary on our society as both women and men struggle to live in it

[@Caroline-qu2yk]

Loved this anime despite the less than stellar animation. Am I crazy for hoping for a full adaption?

[@jaimecardona92]

Ready for that Colleen stop motion seasonal anime

[@MagillanicaLouM]

Oh snap, homegirl Sanae Kobayashi is in this one? Nice, always happy to see.... Hear her

[@magnadramon0068]

Thank you. I love Ooku and hope it will get more seasons. I hope more people watch it.

[@Shadders2010]

In a way, the Sengoku Jidai had an effect of wiping out a aignificant proportion of the male populace, though not exactly to 25%.

[@alishamshad1392]

I saw the show and was pleasantly surprised with how good it was

[@matchablossom3720]

Finally got all the volumes and can read it now. On Vol. 9 and ohmygod there's SO much! Best moment is when Yoshimune spits facts about patriarchy and the scribe just dropps dead after hearing her monolog 😂😂😂😂😂 The animation could be better and studio Deen isn't the best, but on the other hand it could have been Studio Go Hands. We dodged a bullet with Tokyo Babylon. 😖

[@CauseAndorEffect]

I watched it on Netflix & I enjoyed it.

[@abim0pect0re]

yay!!! new video!!!💚

[@wheediesmanchild5229]

I’m only about halfway done with the show, but I don’t really agree with you about the animation aspect. One of the things that stands out so much to me is how it brings historical fashion to life and cinematographically emulates paintings and artistic depictions of the time.

[@d_konja]

I watched this show after Netflix repeatedly recommending it to me, favorite show of the season - even got the manga and was gonna start it this week

[@BlueDragonArt]

I had started reading this manga years ago and was really enjoying it! So watching the anime was most enjoyable! Some of the animation made me giggle a bit (the cg that was a bit um...stand out), but overall I really liked it. It lets newer generations get to experience the awkward feelings many of us felt as unperfected CGI was shoehorned into everything (and, to be fair...I'm kinda okay with things that don't look perfect XD I mean, I still love the original FFVII XD XD) I wish they'd stop the whole binge release crap >:( I finally turned off my autoplay in the settings to help prevent the binge (it's the little things, ya know?) Glad I watched this series before we cancelled (they ticked me off with stopping screen share, raising prices, and the writer's strike. I have tons of books and web comics to read, so it's not a total loss. Rewatching some old stuff I have around the house. I can wait to see how things hash out).

[@Ali-fs7ze]

Hey sorry for the off topic comment but I just watched your top 15 manga video where you said you liked Haikyuu, so I was wondering if you've read "Shojo Fight" before. It's a seinen series written by Yoko Nihonbashi about Highschool Girls Volleyball, it's really pretty good. Tho it's way more focused on the interpersonal drama side of things than the sports side of things. I don't think there's a single match that takes longer than one chapter until volume 10 or so lol.

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

I actually saw that series the other day but I'm not usually a fan of full-color series. Maybe I'll look into it more though. (Sidenote: the shoujo series Crimson Hero is also really great)

[@Ali-fs7ze]

@@ColleensMangaRecs It's not full-color tho? Unless there's like a full-color version I don't know about... Also I was kinda hesitant on Crimson Hero since the official english version is incomplete, but if you recommend it I guess I'll look up some less savory means of reading it, thank you.

[@DoomyRei]

Amazing stuff

[@laurenwilliams6896]

Read the entirety of the manga and the adaptation this year. It was fantastic.

[@asrafelicia]

I've watched it on early August and realised that I watched live action version called Lady Shogun. However, it only covered the 1 ep in anime. Finished the whole anime in 2 days and I obsessed with this series. NHK remake the live action earlier this years and honestly I also like how they executed the live action in 2023. The live action complete the arc until Yoshimune step down from shogunate, but they skip the story of second female shogun.

[@LuisHernandez-zc2ci]

Barbie 2.0 you say? Sold, I’ll watch

[@SlideysWorld]

Hey! Im a 21 year old male college student and I, almost embarrassingly, LOVE shoujo/josei.😂😂 You've helped me find some new great mangas/anime!

[@terubokmasin3247]

Yes, I have watched halfway through this and I want it to last so not going to rush to the end. Not comfortable watch for for sure when it comes to certain scenes but it's a great show nevertheless.

[@adventurerkate]

Just adding frustration with the Netflix model: they did this with Tiger and Bunny 2 as well last year, much to the chagrin of us fans. Japan is now getting a weekly television release, but globally it was released the same day. Come on, Netflix! I know you were just the distributor, but do better! 😤

[@speccothy]

Ngl I loved the first episode, and after that it kinda lost me 🥲

[@hmshood9212]

Netflix gave us the worst and best stufff imaginable. Cuties 🤡 All Quiet on the Western Front ☠️ Ōoku 👘

[@GIPgarden]

I watched this based on your recommendation and I liked the story but the end was sort of anticlimactic. Thought they should pan back to the current time but they didn't do that. Seemed like it lacked real closure

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

the manga doesn't return to the current time until volume 7 or 8 since it follows the real line of succession which doesn't get to Yoshimune until 3 more (I'm pretty sure) shoguns.

[@69hikikomori]

I’m so early

[@69hikikomori]

I will take this opportunity to say I LOVE YOU COLLLLLLLLEEEEN

[@ColleensMangaRecs]

💕💕💕💕

[@cbw900]

Personally, I was so, sooo disappointed with Ooku. For me it wasn't just the animation, but the way that everything was made into sledgehammery text instead of the subtle, masterful, suggestive subtextural storytelling of the manga... the narrator... staging scenes directly from the manga's compositions but worse... giving us the origin story of the pox immediately... just ugh. At least I was emotionally prepared for it from the moment I heard it would be DEEN, hahaha. HOWEVER I still would recommend it to people who would be totally unwilling to read the manga, because the core story is that good.

[@firellamas]

The origin of the pox is the first scene in the manga...

[@devinreis5811]

Here's my review, and it's gonna be a long one, so buckle up. Bravo's reality shows, especially the Real Housewives franchise, was my gateway drug to this series. Oddly enough, Ooku: The Inner Chambers was a soap opera that ran from the mid-80s to the late-90s, which kind of makes some sense; the soap opera was wildly popular and considered Japan's answer to Days Of Our Lives. I felt like I was watching a really good soap opera, and a really heightened version of Bravo's reality shows, and everything is turned up to 100. Like any soap opera and every single Bravo reality show, everything is turned up through the roof. I see why the current generation of college students in Japan schedule classes around what days and times soap operas are going to be on to this day, as their families probably did, even in the age of DVR and streaming. I see why a lot of people were hooked on the soap opera, and I know why I was hooked when I started watching this series. Literally within three to five minutes, anything can and will happen.

[@sakuraayanami]

I already tried twice and i couldn't pass the first episode because I found it boring. Idk how are the rest of the episodes but I could give it a third chance

[@Anarchivist343]

The manga has much better pacing. I wasn't into the anime but the manga keeps you on the edge of your seat.

[@sakuraayanami]

@@Anarchivist343 I'll believe you because I've watch several animes that the adaptation and/or pacing just doesn't cut it compare to the manga. So I'll most likely search for the manga and read that

[@gabriellacardosopaiva417]

You should try watch from episode 3. Arikoto and Shogun plotline is very interesting.

[@Jayz457]

Not into Woke shit at all but this anime is amazing I found it randomly. The 2 main characters turn into real people that you care about. Bring an umbrella cause it is going to rain. No action but an amazing story.