Ôoku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 2, Yoshinaga, Fumi
I am unfamiliar with manga, and when reading, tend to concentrate on the words. So I really had to slow down on this one, because the story is told in the drawings, not the words. Not to mention that despite a fascination with the Tokugawa period of Japanese history, there are cultural references that I know I missed.
The story itself is full of angst and honor, with behavior controlled by not only the samurai code but by the demands of class and gender. Slavery, betrayal and ultimately love play out against a background of plague and deceit.
I read this because the initial volume has been recommended to me a number of times, but I haven't been able to find it at the library. At some point I'm going to read the extant volumes starting with the first - this is a fascinating story. This entry was originally posted at http://www.dreamwidth.org/12345.html. Please comment here or there.