This miniseries offers a loose reimagining of the political environment and power struggles that led to the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and the rise of the Tokugawa shogunate. The fact that they changed the names of all characters shows that the goal is not to document historical events, but to instead reflect on the political and social climate of the time.
The biggest merit of the series lies in the use of its budget to meticulously prepare the cast and setting, making everything remarkably believable not only to the Western market but especially to its Japanese audience, only indulging in exoticism in its more atmospheric sequences. While Japanese productions tend to fall victim to their low budgets and the industry's taste for camp, "Shogun" adopts the gritty and "rigorous" approach typical of Western productions, somehow reminiscent of shows like "Game of Thrones." The only downside might be the direction of the Japanese actors, with some lackluster performances (like Toranaga's son) and tons of unintelligible dialogue (Asano, in particular, who still remains my favorite character nevertheless).
Despite most cliffhangers finding anticlimactic resolutions, I found the main narrative and power struggles engaging, especially when focusing on the relationships between the main characters. Initially, it's challenging to keep track of all names and alliances, but the introduction of the British co-protagonist, newly shipwrecked in Japanese land, naturally guides the audience into the story without relying too heavily on exposition dumps.
However, I would not recommend the series to those expecting epic battles, as the conflict remains predominantly sentimental or political, with the sparse action sequences being limited in both scale and length.
Review by manicureVIP 4BlockedParent2024-04-28T04:48:40Z
This miniseries offers a loose reimagining of the political environment and power struggles that led to the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and the rise of the Tokugawa shogunate. The fact that they changed the names of all characters shows that the goal is not to document historical events, but to instead reflect on the political and social climate of the time.
The biggest merit of the series lies in the use of its budget to meticulously prepare the cast and setting, making everything remarkably believable not only to the Western market but especially to its Japanese audience, only indulging in exoticism in its more atmospheric sequences. While Japanese productions tend to fall victim to their low budgets and the industry's taste for camp, "Shogun" adopts the gritty and "rigorous" approach typical of Western productions, somehow reminiscent of shows like "Game of Thrones." The only downside might be the direction of the Japanese actors, with some lackluster performances (like Toranaga's son) and tons of unintelligible dialogue (Asano, in particular, who still remains my favorite character nevertheless).
Despite most cliffhangers finding anticlimactic resolutions, I found the main narrative and power struggles engaging, especially when focusing on the relationships between the main characters. Initially, it's challenging to keep track of all names and alliances, but the introduction of the British co-protagonist, newly shipwrecked in Japanese land, naturally guides the audience into the story without relying too heavily on exposition dumps.
However, I would not recommend the series to those expecting epic battles, as the conflict remains predominantly sentimental or political, with the sparse action sequences being limited in both scale and length.