Ooku Wins Tiptree Award!

[chomiji]

Press release here.

"Fumi Yoshinaga’s Ooku: The Inner Chambers (volumes 1 & 2) explores an alternate version of feudal Japan, in which a plague has killed three out of every four boys. In this world, young men are protected and sheltered; women have secretly taken positions of authority and power. The Japanese ruler or shogun and the feudal lords are women and much of the story takes place among the men in the shogun’s harem. The title of the work refers to the living quarters for the shogun’s harem, contained within Edo Castle.

"The selection of Ooku: The Inner Chambers marks the first time that manga has been chosen for the Tiptree Award. Though no one on the jury is an expert on manga or on Japanese history, the jurors fell in love with the detailed exploration of the world of these books ... ."

Thanks to james_nicoll for pointing this out.

Comments

[vierran45.livejournal.com]

I agree, the archaic English in the translation just didn't work that well for me and kept jarring me out of the story every once in a while. Still, once I got sort of used to it, I did enjoy the story and the artwork a lot.

[kinsugi.livejournal.com]

Funny, I posted a rant about the pseudo-Shakespearean English somewhere or other, but ended up buying and pre-ordering everything anyway because the art and characters and story are pure gold! I still wish I could read the Japanese, or an alternate translation, but the books are beautiful.