Synopsis: It's said that Japan was once ravaged by red-faced smallpox for nearly two hundred years. The disease left men weak, and women have held power ever since. To prevent foreign invasion, the shogunate chose to close the country to the outside world. Generations of female shoguns governed with great diligence and only just managed to contain the disease. By the end of the shogunate, more than a hundred years ago, the world was in turmoil, and East Asian nations faced both internal strife and external threats. In an equally troubled Edo, Japan, power rested in the hands of the last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu. Among her most capable ministers was a mysterious official. As one of the shogun's closest aides, this official was naturally a woman. Rumor had it that the lady official was very young and exceptionally beautiful. She was skilled in both letters and arms, far-sighted, and deeply concerned for her country and its people. As the unstoppable tide of the times swept in, she struggled to hold up a crumbling state. She was...
A few things to know:
Gender roles are reversed, and the story partially follows the original. The characters are kept as close as possible to the original Detective Conan setting.
The last shogunate's female official × the last imperial court's male envoy
Late Edo and early modern setting / happy ending / male lead is a virgin / some of the plot is inspired by the gender-reversed arc of the 2023 version of Ooku.
There are both original and historical characters. The gender reversal in Ooku means that gender roles have been reversed to some extent, not that women have complete dominance.
Main characters:
Ran Mouri, 17, a confidante and spy for the shogun.
Rei Furuya, 29, an imperial court envoy with close ties to the reformists.
(Doesn't it feel like their roles have been switched around?)
Tokugawa Yoshinobu (Nana Hime), 29, a woman and the last shogun of the Japanese Edo shogunate.
Lady Hitotsubashi: Yoshinobu's birth mother, a powerful figure in the upper ranks of the shogunate.
Xiaotong: An original character, a doctor and court historian who serves as the viewpoint character at the beginning of the story. Furuya's subordinate.
Yuya Kazami: A familiar face. Furuya's trusted aide.
Kogoro Mouri: A familiar face. A former town magistrate of the shogunate and a scholar who loves traveling around to enjoy the scenery.
Takiyama: Thirty-five or thirty-six, a man and the head of the Ooku.
Tenshoin (Atsuzo): Twenty-nine, the principal wife of the previous shogun.
Katsu: Katsu Kaishu, also known as Katsu Awa. In his forties, a senior shogunate official on equal footing with Ran.
Kido Takayoshi: One of the Three Great Nobles of the Restoration and a friend of Furuya.
Saigo Takamori: A man and a retainer from Tenshoin's hometown. One of the Three Great Nobles of the Restoration.
Hiromitsu Morofushi: A masterless samurai and pro-imperial restoration activist.
Jinpei Matsuda: A masterless samurai and pro-imperial restoration activist.
Theme: Women's strength, keeping pace with the tide of the times, and equality between women and men
[Thai Drama] When the Bua Blooms: The IF Story
[Greek Mythology] Lost Fragments of the Theogony: Forbidden Records and Tales
[A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality] Beginningless World: The First Heavenly Venerate Leaves the Jade Pool
[Detective Conan: Toru X Ran] The Flower Is Strong / The Strength of Flowers
[Modern Greek Mythology] Laurel and Butterfly
A Wild Woman's Song of Joy in Greek Mythology
[Greek Mythology] Beauty Beneath the Moon
I like this ending very much. There is no sensationalism or hint. It seems that everything comes naturally. The girl is the later educator of the girls' school, Tsuda Umeko. The history is wonderfully completed. Although she may not know that Ziji's study abroad was the result of the efforts of the female officials of the shogunate to fight for her, and she doesn't even know who Ran is, she doesn't need to know, because she has become the successor of Ran and the shogun invisibly, inheriting that spirit and power, and teaching it to her own female students for the rest of her life, a very exciting ending.
After reading the whole article, Xiaotong's last sentence is really the finishing touch. It seems to have been like this throughout the ages. Men are obsessed with fighting for power and provoking disputes. They often create numerous crises due to conflicts of temperament, and repeatedly push the entire world to the brink of collapse. But when the situation got out of hand and the building was about to collapse, those who stood up to stabilize the situation, protect ordinary people, and find a way out of the mess were mostly women who had no voice and were not recognized by history. Maybe women themselves are strong enough and don't care about the superficial power and fame, they just quietly guard the world; but once danger strikes, they will not hesitate to shoulder all the burdens. When viewed in the context of the history of Ooku and Bakumatsu, it is extremely realistic. Men from various factions in the court fought and pulled each other. Edo was finally able to avoid war and achieve a bloodless opening of the city. Women were indispensable for mediating between the various parties. Just like the prototype Tsuda Umeko, after the troubled times came to an end, she resolutely opened up women's education and opened up a new path for countless women in the future. Official history is always reluctant to record their sacrifices and efforts, but the power they once burst out will never disappear. I particularly like the core of what this fan wants to express, which brings women who have been submerged in the dust of history and have few written records back to the readers, allowing us to see that even if they are trapped in boundless darkness, they still try their best to lift the times. I particularly like the core of what this fan wants to express, which is to bring women who have been submerged in the dust of history and have few written records back to the readers. Let us see that even if they are trapped in boundless darkness, they still try their best to lift the times. As a woman, I continue to resonate with your words, teacher, and understand and recognize the power contained in women. I slowly break free from the shackles that society has attached to women for a long time, and accept and recognize my female identity from the heart.
After reading through it, I can really feel the sincerity and enthusiasm of the blogger in his creation. I am particularly fond of this kind of story that salvages female power from the blank spaces of history. The chapter of the Nakano Takeko sisters has already made me feel heavy. By the time I finished reading this chapter, I felt my heart was agitated. As Lan said, how the history books of later generations are written has never been determined by the people involved. But the weight left by those women who have stood in the wave of the times and fought hard will not dissipate. Ran's dialogue for the whole city of Edo imploring Saigo to keep the agreement is very resonant, and the atmosphere of the human struggle between different forces is well created. The hidden game progresses layer by layer, which is more memorable than the straightforward battlefield confrontation.
I really like this chapter, the subtle lust, the beautiful atmosphere... I didn't say a word of love but did the most intimate thing... There must be someone else who is deeply involved in it.
Lanlan, you said that if someone kissed a dog, wouldn't you also be scolding yourself? 🐶
So it was the vaccine prepared by Harrow's saliva that saved everyone? 🐶 Very cute setting
All because the world will keep asking until they hear the answer they want. Oh my God, this chapter is so touching... Isn't this an ideal elegy?
The damaging trick of getting money from the public sector was probably Lan's idea. However, Feng Gu did take action out of selfish motives. After all, if the imperial court collapsed, they would be organized into a bandit army by the shogunate.
I watched Cat Attendant when I was in junior high school, it was really healing!
Can I say that I am more into orchids and happy 🐶