For something I saw zero promotion for prior to people going crazy over the first two episodes, Shogun really surprised me with its production quality. Not only does this look and feel like Japan in the 1600s throughout, it never felt like anything was shot on a volume, and if it was, it was expertly handled to look authentic. Also, as many have celebrated, the lighting throughout is top-tier, a sterling reminder of what shows and movies should look like across the board instead of the flat brightness we seem to get in everything nowadays.
And then there's the characters, who feel very, very historically accurate in everything from their attire to their mindsets and actions (tons of Deliberate Values Dissonance for everyone!), something that the crew apparently took great pains to improve from the book - we meet almost the entire cast in the first episode, but all of them stand out from each other almost immediately and only continue to grow, both as people and on the viewers, as the show progresses. Mariko, Toranaga and Blackthorne, in particular, have joined my personal pantheon of all-time favorite characters, and I know I'll be thinking about them for many years to come.
And the story...well, it's truly impressive how gently it subverts expectations, over and over again. With the basic premise of a white man stumbling into Japan on the cusp of a civil war between royal households, a lesser production could've easily turned this into a white savior narrative where Blackthorne swoops in and saves the day with his charm and Western mannerisms and, uh, overwhelming naval firepower; but instead, he's pissed on (literally and figuratively) in just about every episode, and while he provides a much-needed and interesting counter-viewpoint to the feudal Japanese mindset and does play an important role in the plot, the other characters never once treat him as their messiah nor does he end up solving the conflict. Instead, the plot is about watching the grand plan of Toranaga unfold, piece by piece and with every other setback turned into an advantage by one of the smartest-feeling characters I've ever seen put to screen - Hiroyuki Sanada was the perfect casting/producer choice for this series, and I've no doubt it would be a shadow of what it ended up being without him. And, of course, Mariko is simply one of the most iconic and well-written women in any story, ever, no two ways about it.
As it ran, Shogun received a lot of comparisons to Game of Thrones because, y'know, that's apparently the baseline for mature and epic medieval television now...and I gotta say, it is so much better than that. Not only is the plot concise and intriguing throughout, but the sex and violence are both well-executed (read:important every time and shot/produced in high quality) and sparing, so they hit you hard whenever they factor into the story without becoming gratuitous. Hell, Shogun is a perfect example of telling a dark and mature story WITHOUT constant sex and violence, as much of the grittier parts come from characters simply talking to each other without even raising a hand - the restraint is just as important as the execution.
In short, go watch Shogun if you have Hulu, or even pirate it if you don't; it'll be criminal if it doesn't win any Emmys, because by god is it quality cinema. I'll miss the weekly memes...
Series Brilliantly Made, Heartwrenching and Beautiful
For something I saw zero promotion for prior to people going crazy over the first two episodes, Shogun really surprised me with its production quality. Not only does this look and feel like Japan in the 1600s throughout, it never felt like anything was shot on a volume, and if it was, it was expertly handled to look authentic. Also, as many have celebrated, the lighting throughout is top-tier, a sterling reminder of what shows and movies should look like across the board instead of the flat brightness we seem to get in everything nowadays.
And then there's the characters, who feel very, very historically accurate in everything from their attire to their mindsets and actions (tons of Deliberate Values Dissonance for everyone!), something that the crew apparently took great pains to improve from the book - we meet almost the entire cast in the first episode, but all of them stand out from each other almost immediately and only continue to grow, both as people and on the viewers, as the show progresses. Mariko, Toranaga and Blackthorne, in particular, have joined my personal pantheon of all-time favorite characters, and I know I'll be thinking about them for many years to come.
And the story...well, it's truly impressive how gently it subverts expectations, over and over again. With the basic premise of a white man stumbling into Japan on the cusp of a civil war between royal households, a lesser production could've easily turned this into a white savior narrative where Blackthorne swoops in and saves the day with his charm and Western mannerisms and, uh, overwhelming naval firepower; but instead, he's pissed on (literally and figuratively) in just about every episode, and while he provides a much-needed and interesting counter-viewpoint to the feudal Japanese mindset and does play an important role in the plot, the other characters never once treat him as their messiah nor does he end up solving the conflict. Instead, the plot is about watching the grand plan of Toranaga unfold, piece by piece and with every other setback turned into an advantage by one of the smartest-feeling characters I've ever seen put to screen - Hiroyuki Sanada was the perfect casting/producer choice for this series, and I've no doubt it would be a shadow of what it ended up being without him. And, of course, Mariko is simply one of the most iconic and well-written women in any story, ever, no two ways about it.
As it ran, Shogun received a lot of comparisons to Game of Thrones because, y'know, that's apparently the baseline for mature and epic medieval television now...and I gotta say, it is so much better than that. Not only is the plot concise and intriguing throughout, but the sex and violence are both well-executed (read:important every time and shot/produced in high quality) and sparing, so they hit you hard whenever they factor into the story without becoming gratuitous. Hell, Shogun is a perfect example of telling a dark and mature story WITHOUT constant sex and violence, as much of the grittier parts come from characters simply talking to each other without even raising a hand - the restraint is just as important as the execution.
In short, go watch Shogun if you have Hulu, or even pirate it if you don't; it'll be criminal if it doesn't win any Emmys, because by god is it quality cinema. I'll miss the weekly memes...