Shōgun

This is hands down one of the best shows of the year, maybe of the last few years. Like millions of others, I'm a huge Shogun fan so I was counting down the days until this came out. Even though I couldn't wait to watch it I didn't have a lot of confidence it would be as good as the original but not only was it as good, it was even better and by a lot. The last episode was kind of disappointing. It wasn't bad but it could've been better. I was ok with the ending but it still left me a little unsatisfied so what do they do? They go and renew it for another two seasons to keep this amazing story going. I've already watched this first season a few times.

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.

When I first heard about Shogun I couldn't wait to see it because I absolutely loved the original. I then read the reviews and while the majority of them are really good they were still mixed enough that I thought I'd judge for myself? Well, I loved it. I loved it so much I'm already watching it all the way through again. I kept telling myself that there's no way they can keep every episode as entertaining as the last but they did. It just kept getting better and better. Like many have already said it's historically inaccurate. I can get past shows like that as long as it was entertaining enough and this definitely was.

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.

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'.