Shōgun

This show is borderline perfect, it's weaves and bobs make so much sense that you are enthralled by its characters and stories. The shows music and cinematography is absolutely perfect. The existential questions that the protagonist asks to Mariko may seem odd at first but make up the fundamental philosophical difference between the western world and Japan. 'we live and we die' a quote from the show makes up this perfectly. The englishmans sharp critique of the Japanese and their way of life and eventual change of mind is the fundamental conflict in the mind of the protagonist. We are usually only given borderline racist or fetished version of feudal Japan in our movies and TV shows, this is a show which puts the Japanese characters front and centre and watches as the dance of death and power plays out with the foreigner playing the part of a catalyst or as Hiroyuki Sanada puts it a 'distraction'.

This is stunning television. The costumes, the sets, the historic period acting are all phenomenal. This show simply oozes dedication to detail and money. So with just two episodes in I can say that this will hook you almost immediately and for fans of Japan and its ancient culture it is almost a must-see.

Knowing the book the casting is near pitch-perfect or at least close enough to it. Maybe Lady Mariko doesn't look as I imagined her from the book but the actress still delivers a good performance and I am deeply appreciative of this show for making a worthy effort to depict the vast and intricate world of James Clavell's masterful historic novel.

However, maybe the book is too big to fit into the confined space of a TV series. For obvious reasons the showrunners had to rush through so much that is explained and described in detail in the book. In order to do the book justice it would have taken almost two seasons of television to show the story of John Blackthorne before he even reaches Osaka. Much of the underlying conflicts and the delicate web of diplomacy and intrigue the main characters have to navigate are cut short in the TV show. There also is a weird shift in perspective which strays from the book. Whereas the involvement of Portuguese foreigners in the politics of early 17th century Japan is treated as just another aspect in a mostly internal Japanese power struggle, the TV show almost sets the Portuguese up as the main antagonists of the show during its first two episodes. I hope the shows swings back to the Japan-centric story it is meant to be.

Bottom line: This is great television but I recommend reading the book eventually.

I have to agree with some comments before me. Visually stunning, nice story telling, great atmosphere. It was so satisfying to transport to a period Japan and learn more about such times.

My only complain is Cosmo Jarvis as Blackthorne. Since the first scene I could not forgive his fake blue lens and was staring at them the whole 10 episodes. Why it has to be like that? Just for one comment that he had a blue eyes?! It was totally not important.

Also it was not so believable to me to be so young as Pilot and make it that far (as career) to sail on such big mission. Of course, he had to be also very handsome (in same time) and in the middle of series lectured how English men treat women in those times so respectfully - it was super cringe and unnecessary.

At the end of the series the games were little bit too much, it was still enjoyable and made us expect a lot from the finale that never really happened. I am not sure if there will be season 2 with new cast and a new story... I would not mind.

Since the Englishman Blackthorne had quite a little impact on the story and also Portuguese, I don't think we have to force them into possible future series. I only enjoyed character of Blackthorne for the fact that all had to be explained to him from the scratch and it gave us more insights into Japanese customs that time, and of course he had to create this love interest to season things up. Other than that in some scenes he was slowly becoming even annoyance. I was also not completely sold with Cosmo Jarvis' acting, deep voice and supposed to be funny vulgar cursing?!

No matter, it was still very enjoyable and visually beautiful series and I wish to see more from Japan. I really enjoyed acting of all the asian cast and even those dark black eyes (which were also fake lens) of Tommy Bastow as Portuguese Father Martin Alvito...

Shogun is easily one of the best shows I've seen-like a Japanese Game of Thrones. While the pacing drags at times and the ending feels more like a setup for season two than a true payoff, the storytelling and acting are outstanding. The betrayal, romance, and rich cultural depth had me hooked. The translation scenes felt awkward, but they added to the show's authenticity. But for me, it was the dialogue and bursts of action that truly stood out-ultimately making Shogun an absolute must-watch. I'd like to also add that the camera work in this series was phenomenal too. I was blown away at some of the shots, made it feel like a movie not a TV show on Hulu.

Set in Feudal Japan, this show is fiction but loosely based on a real story of an English Navigator who landed in Japan and integrated in the Japanese society and structure.

This show gave me real Game of Thrones vibes. With the exception of House of the Dragon, nothing has quite filled that void in the TV space for me (not in a world of swords, anyway). What it lacks in intense action or battle scenes (for now), it more than makes up for with incredible, dramatic performances from just about every actor in the cast. It's a show all about the story. The relationships between the characters.

A beautiful show with fantastic direction and storytelling.