You know what I was expecting from this? I expected a badass female lead saying fuck the patriarchy and to my utmost disappointment I literally got the almost exact opposite theres some promise with the new shogun in the first episode This story depicts early Tokugawa Japan with a twist: a rapidly spreading disease affecting only men kills 75 of the male population and leaves women to take up the roles that they once held. Even that of the shogun which is now being filled of the previous leaders daughter. Given all I know about the historical context of the Sengoku wars and the Tokugawa period this was highly entertaining but I wont lie the ending left an extremely bitter taste in my mouth. Some people would say that it ended realistically but bruv pls no. If you were gonna make an alternative timeline where women ruled instead of men at least give it a happy ending bro. Like seriously. I wouldnt be surprised if a man wrote this story. I think the first hourlong episode would have fit better at the end. That way at least we could get the illusion of a happy ending but rip Why do I dislike the ending? Well cause I hate tragic love stories and this unfortunately is one. A beautiful love story but still heartbreakingly tragic. The worst part is that it didnt need to be. It really did not need to be. Everyone was just limited by their narrow mindsets and that made it intriguing but also so extremely frustrating to watch. Like almost all the men are gone but why does patriarchy still exist??? Bro wtf EXPAND YOUR MIND Thats literally all they needed to do to make it ...NOT TRAGIC. Hence my frustration But besides that I loved the characters and their emotional depth. It was absolute beautiful especially Arikoto. He was so heartbreakingly perfect. Hes by far the best character in this in my opinion. His love anger despair desperation and passion are so deliciously exquisite its hard to not fall in love with his character but he too could have pushed Chie in a different direction. Chie Chie Chie omfg. Pls rip her. SHE HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL AS A CHARACTER but I guess she just couldnt fathom a world where men and women were truly equal and because of this she put herself and my dear Arikoto through needless anguish and for that while I understand her I honestly cant bring myself to like her. sigh Luckily theres more in the manga and Im excited to read it and see what happens as the story does continue. Hopefully the new female shogun will be able to succeed where her predecessors failed and maybe even have a passionate BUT NOT TRAGIC love story of her own. Im looking forward to it Despite me hating the ending Ill give this 5 stars lol. The emotional depth explored and the historical context are just too rich for anything lower.