On April 23, the epic historical drama series “Shogun” ended on the FX channel and simultaneously on the Hulu platform. Its plot is based on the novel of the same name by James Clavell, published in 1975. In the review below we will understand what exactly is remarkable about this project and due to what properties it has received universal recognition.
“Shogun
Genre historical drama
Creators Rachel Condo, Justin Marks
Cast Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, Takehiro Hira, Tommy Bastow, Fumi Nikaido
Premiere FX, Hulu
Year of issue 2024
Website IMDb
In 1600, the Dutch merchant ship Erasmus arrives on the shores of Japan, on board which residents of a coastal village discover 12 sailors. They miraculously managed to survive after a grueling long journey. Among the barely alive Europeans is the English navigator John Blackthorne. It is he who is destined to conduct diplomacy with the local masters, in particular, the samurai Kashigi Yabushige.
Blackthorne manages to negotiate the favor of those in power and save the lives of the team members, with the exception of the only poor fellow who is boiled alive in a cauldron. Soon the long-suffering Englishman meets one of the most powerful daimyo of Japan, Yoshi Toranaga, his faithful servants and the girl Toda Mariko, who was entrusted with the role of translator. He learns about local political feuds and becomes useful to Taranaga in his fight against the conspirators, receiving the honorary title of hatamoto and becoming increasingly immersed in the strange and obscure culture of the Land of the Rising Sun. The new Shogun is the second television adaptation of James Clavell’s best-selling historical novel of the same name, following the successful 1980 show that aired on NBC and won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for best series. The novel itself, by an American writer and screenwriter who managed to be in Japanese captivity during World War II, was based on real characters, such as, for example, the English navigator William Adams or the founder of the Edo shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The 2024 version captivated both audiences and critics, receiving sky-high ratings (that’s a stellar 9 on IMDb and 99% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes).
Shogun has received complimentary comparisons to Game of Thrones, and some dared It’s said to be even better than its predecessor in certain aspects, highlighting that the plot now gives ample space to the Japanese characters, while the 1980 version mainly focused on Blackthorne.
Indeed, the perfectionist creation of showrunners Rachel Condo and Justin Marks has become one of the most standout series of the year. Already from the debut episode, a leisurely narrative can literally capture your attention, and then you simply dissolve in this multifaceted story that cannot leave you indifferent.
The plot is built on continuous contradictions and antagonism. Along with the insidious wars of the powers that be, there is a confrontation between Catholicism and Protestantism (here I was in passing reminded of Scorsese’s “Silence”), mental differences in cultures and worldviews (now an Englishman will have to wash more often than once a week), and there was also a place for devotion and betrayal, cruelty and tenderness, hatred and love.
When the story is told from Blackthorn’s point of view, the viewer gets to know this bizarre world, its strange, sometimes incomprehensible and at first glance absurd rituals and customs. At the same time, the immersion in the historical era is of the highest quality, obviously thanks to impeccable technical execution. Unsurpassed island landscapes, authentic costumes, hairstyles, armor, weapons, the number of severed heads per hour of running time – everything in the frame is designed to contribute to the atmosphere of Japan at that time. Here, every second person vows to commit seppuku (some will even succeed in this), and the poetic lines of dialogue beg to stand out in haiku.
What’s surprising is that Shogun managed to achieve such success despite having little action. Moreover, the actual dialogue narration is devoid of large-scale battle scenes, so fans of Hollywood historical blockbusters like “The Last Samurai” may be left bewildered after the finale.
The second half of the season generally risks causing the feeling that the story is taking a wrong turn. However, it is pointless to deny that the local court intrigues, irreconcilable conflicts between different parties and exciting plot twists did not become an excellent alternative to epic battles. And there is enough bloodshed as such in the frame. It was also interesting to see how the world-famous Japanese stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Asano Tadanobu, who had already met on the set of “47 Ronin” and also embodied the key characters of the Mortal Kombat universe in the newest film adaptation, interacted on screen. One of the central, extremely important roles went to the beauty Anna Sawai, and if in the actress’s previous project “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” the fate of her character was indifferent, then the local Mariko-san evokes a sincere response from the audience.
It’s also encouraging that this year offers truly worthwhile projects for the small screen. Next to “Shogun” there are wonderful multi-genre shows, such as “Lords of the Air”, “3 body problem” or very recent “Fallout”. So in terms of quality TV series, there’s no point in complaining about 2024 yet. Just as there is no point in doing something similar in relation to the hero of our review, who draws you into the intricacies of his plot with such force that, even if you cut off your head, it is absolutely impossible to tear yourself away from the screen.
