Ooku: The Inner Chambers is an alternate-history romantic animation series directed by Noriyuki Abe. The story takes place in an alternate history Edo-era Japan when the country is devastated by a plague known as red-face smallpox. Young men and boys are particularly vulnerable. The population count begins to level off, and it’s clear that men now make up only 25% of the human race. This results in a seismic shift that transforms Japanese culture into a matriarchy. Women control every area of family life, while men are viewed as valuable assets and typically employed to advance the family’s economic and social standing.
Events inside ooku, also known as the Inner Chambers, play a pivotal role in the story. The oku used to house the female residents of Edo Castle, but once the plague hit, it became the residence of the male Shogun’s courtiers. Oku: The Inner Chambers was met with mostly positive reviews upon its initial debut, with many viewers praising the show’s animation and characters. Are you curious if Oku: The Inner Chambers will return for a second season? We’ve got your back.
Ōoku: The Inner Chambers Season 2 Release Date
On June 29th, 2023, you can purchase Oku: The Inner Chambers. There will be 12–25 episodes in the first season. No more. It’s unclear when the second season will premiere after the previous one ended. Is season 2 now airing for the anime? In this part, we’ll find out if the anime has been renewed for a second season.
No word yet on whether or if there will be a second season of the anime. Where do you see this anime going from here? To begin, when the anime will return is still a mystery.
Mostly because the first season of the anime hasn’t been released. The final episodes of this anime can only hint at its future. The outcome of the finale will be decisive.
Second, the story of the manga may end with the first season, making a second season highly improbable. If not, then there will be a subsequent year. Netflix will decide whether to cancel or keep the cartoon after it airs. This means that an official return announcement for The Inner Chambers is imminent.
After the release of Oku: The Inner Chambers, we should find out more about the second season of the anime, even if its fate is now unknown.
Ōoku: The Inner Chambers Storyline
A youngster was mauled by a bear in a rural village in the Kant region during the reign of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, and this incident sparked the spread of a mysterious disease that came to be known as the “redface pox.” There is currently no known therapy or cure for the condition, other than the fact that it “only affects young boys” and has a “80% fatality rate.”
Because of this, male fertility dropped to around 25% of female fertility, and Japanese society saw dramatic shifts. As a result of the scarcity of stallions, boys were either sent to be grooms, rented out to low-income households that could not afford to hire their own, or sold as prostitutes.
On the contrary, women surpassed men as the primary workforce, and enterprises were exclusively passed down the female line. After the third Shogun, Iemitsu, the shogunship was transferred to women in Edo Castle, and the oku attracted at-risk youths as evidence of the Shogun’s grandeur, spawning a subculture of males known as the “three thousand beautiful men.”
Ōoku: The Inner Chambers Characters
- Yoshimune: It happened while Yoshimune was the eighth Shogun of Japan. She instituted numerous changes to the shogunate’s administrative structure and named a member of her retinue, Kan Hisamichi [ja], to act as her intermediary. She was so determined that she even reformed the oku, where three thousand handsome men were mocked for being the shogunate’s profligate spenders.
- Iemitsu: It was established during Iemitsu’s third shogunate. In Japan, red-faced pox was rapidly spreading. As a result of Lady Kasuga’s threats, the gorgeous monk of noble birth, Arikoto, who had traveled to Edo Castle from Kyoto, was returned to secular life and accepted to the oku to become Iemitsu’s Page [ja].
- Ietsuna: Chiyo, the eldest daughter of Chie, took the name Ietsuna at the age of 11 to become the fourth Shogun of Japan. Known as “Lady Do So” due to her dismissive “You may do so” attitude toward the counsel of shogunate authorities, she showed little interest in politics.
- Tsunayoshi: Tsunayoshi, the fifth Shogun, exhibited political talents that were a radical departure from those of her predecessor with the help of her Chief Retainer [ja], Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, while also employing her attractive and captivating looks to have a wild sex life.
- Ienobu: The story is set during the reign of Tsunayoshi, a little bit earlier in Japanese history. After Katsuta Saky was hurt in a betting disagreement, Ienobu’s Chief Retainer, Manabe Akifusa, came to take him up from his inactive existence in Edo. While Saky developed feelings for Akifusa, she first planned to force him to become Ienobu’s concubine.
- Ietsugu: After Ienobu passed away, Kunihiro, her official husband, became known as Ten’ei-in (ja), while Saky took the name Gekk-in (ja), and both men entered the priesthood. The seventh Shogun, Ietsugu, was the daughter of Ienobu and Gekk-in.
- Ieshige: Yoshimune, who had learned about the oku and Japan up to this point via the unofficial record, the Chronicle of the Dying Day, launched efforts to eliminate the redface plague out of worry that Japan would be conquered by foreign nations with so few soldiers.
- Ieharu: She then withdrew to the Nishinomaru Palace in Edo Castle after her eldest daughter Ieharu took over as shogun. Ieharu elevated Okitsugu to the position of Elder and gave her control over the shogunate and the spread of the redface virus.
- Ienari: The true power was held by Ienari’s mother, Harunari, despite the fact that Ienari was inaugurated as a male Shogun.
- Ieyoshi: Abe Masahiro was the matriarch of the Abe family, loyal retainers of the Tokugawa shogunate, during a time when male samurai were once again more likely to inherit their positions.
- Iesada: Since she was a little girl, Iesada’s father, Ieyoshi, subjected her to sexual assault.
- Iemochi: Tomiko’s name change to Iemochi as Shogun coincided with the beginning of the Ansei Purge.
Ōoku: The Inner Chambers Season 2 Plot
Netflix has decided not to bring back Season 2 of the show. Since there are so few specifics available, we have to make educated guesses about the plot of Oku: The Inner Chambers Season 2. But the next season will pick up the tale right where the last one left off, right?
Ōoku: The Inner Chambers Season 2 Trailer
Is there a preview for Oku: The Inner Chambers Season 2? Sadly, the answer is no. Since producers have not yet renewed the popular series, there is no trailer available.
Where to watch Ōoku: The Inner Chambers Season 2?
Season 2 of Ooku: the inner chambers will also premiere on Netflix, where viewers can catch up on the first season.