Many a piece of media has put a magnifying glass on the unbalanced power dynamics between men and women in the workplace, sports, government, or society in general. So much so that we inevitably find what-if scenarios about the dynamics being flipped. What if women were in power where men had been previously? Would the world be the same but with a different coat of paint? Would it be better or worse? And how would such a circumstance even take place? Ooku: The Inner Chambers posits this scenario by taking a page from “Y: the Last Man”, where the men of 19th Century Japan are overcome by a sudden epidemic of “redface smallpox” that dwindles the male population to only a fifth of women. Japan’s highly patriarchal system takes measures to stabilize, but can’t account for how events outside their control make permanent changes to the ideals they still cling to. This is the story of an alternate history and those who were caught up in it, namely the men who act as potential grooms for the now female Shogun within the Inner Chambers.But before I get into any of that, I feel I really have to make something clear: this is first and foremost a story about very specific and intricate Japanese history. That detail is a very big part of the show and it can very well make or break your enjoyment of it. If you’re reading this review, I’m going to assume you’re an anime fan, which could soften the blow of this a bit if you’re genuinely fascinated by historical dramas set in the Edo Period. However, I can also very easily see this specific setting getting people lost in the weeds or feeling totally locked out. This isn’t even regarding those who enjoy more action or excitement in their anime and might find this dull. I’m simply taking time to point out that you are going to need to be in the mood for something very specific if you hope to be invested in this. This is also not helped by the fact that the first episode, which is 80 minutes in length compared to the rest that are closer to 30, focuses on a completely separate group of characters than the other nine episodes. You could argue that first episode provides context for things happening down the line, even if they are chronologically set before, but I honestly feel like it can be skipped after you finish the explanation of the plague.With that out of the way, I do also believe there is plenty of general human drama that many can connect to. In the initial episodes, we see how the role of men has drastically changed from being lords or heads of households to being stallions whose only role is breeding, while the women of each house find themselves stepping up to roles they would have previously avoided, such as farming in the fields or taking on male names in order preserve their family image. There is a clear shift in roles due to the abundance of women compared to the dwindling of men, but it is seen as a necessity for survival as opposed to some manipulated cultural shift. In fact, even those among the Shogunate feel the need to hide that their heir is a woman because the cultural perception of men as desired leaders remains intact. The majority of this series takes place only a few years since the plague impacts the country, but it could be assumed that storylines covering longer periods may show that perception changing as well, as those who grew up with these customs die out.You may notice that I’ve been bringing up the worldbuilding and exploration of this alternate timeline instead of mentioning much about the actual story or characters. Unfortunately for me, that ended up being a pretty lackluster part of the series. The shogun’s heir, Iemitsu, finds herself constrained by needing to fulfill her late father’s shoes without any desire to do so, but finds love in one of her new attendants, Arikoto, who was an abbot confined to their palace. Both feel shackled to these roles that were forced upon them, much like many feel about typical gender roles across history, but find connection to each other as they learn to use these roles to their advantage, at least until the realities of their obligations and limitations come crashing against them. Conceptually, it is a compelling love story, though execution-wise it can drag quite a bit and get on the melodramatic side.But perhaps you will find something else worth liking beyond what I’ve mentioned. If you like slight alternate history takes that find a way to put a mirror to modern issues that breach the cultural barrier, Ooku: The Inner Chambers may end up being exactly what you’re looking for. No clue on whether it will be getting any future seasons that could adapt the dozen and a half other manga volumes, but it would be somewhat interesting to dive a bit more into where this diverged path in the timeline could end up. We get a glimpse of that in the first episode but there’s probably at least a few decades of blank space to fill in, or even jump ahead to modern day. And if not, then just make sure to wash your hands and stay up on your shots in case a man-killing plague ever shows up. Never hurts to be prepared.