Summary
- FX's
Shōgun
is a fantastic adaptation that beautifully balances political intrigue and riveting action. - The cast shines, especially Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai, portraying power struggles and linguistic conflicts excellently.
- With stunning production design and captivating cinematography,
Shōgun
is a must-watch TV event of 2024.
FX's Shōgun isn't the first attempt to bring James Clavell's bestselling novel to TV screens, but it is by far the best. Cosmo Jarvis (Lady Macbeth) leads the talented cast as an English sailor hurled into a culture he can never hope to truly understand, but must desperately attempt to communicate with to survive. Shōgun intricately establishes the tumultuous balance of power in Japan during the 1600s, whilst giving ample time to explore the various lords, religious parties, and individuals all vying for control — as the English sailor proves to be just as much of a threat as he is a weapon.
FX's Shōgun is a multi-faceted, complex narrative that finds the balance between holding the viewers' hands and shrouding them in mystery as, much like Blackthorne, audiences are hurled into a new world.
Shogun Plays a Game of Thrones and Languages
Shogun (2024)
4.5/5
- Release Date
- February 27, 2024
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- DNA Films, FX Productions, Michael De Luca Productions
- An excellent adaptation that devotes a ton of talent, production value, and time to get it right.
- The cast of Shogun is great, especially Hiroyuki Sanada.
- The way the series explores themes of power and language is fascinating.
John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) becomes the first English sailor to reach Japan and the New World in an attempt to open up trade. However, after being immediately taken prisoner and having his ship seized, Blackthorne finds himself caught in a struggle for power. There's Lord Toronaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), one of the rulers being jostled out of power; there's The Council of Regents, the ruling lords of Japan who are overseeing the country until the rightful heir comes of age; and then there's Portuguese Jesuits, the sworn enemy of the Protestant English.
The first two episodes are filled with more political scheming, backstabbing, violence, and mystery than an entire season of Game of Thrones (which Shōgun has repeatedly been compared to in other reviews), and it's only a fifth of the way through the story.
One of the best and most interesting aspects of FX's Shōgun is how it handles the issue of language. Everyone has seen at least one film set in a foreign country, where every native character manages to speak perfect English. FX takes that laziness and boils it alive (much like one of the feudal prisoners). Amid the battle between the ruling lords for power and influence is also a conflict of language, where Blackthorne is forced to rely on his natural enemies — the Portuguese Catholics —- to translate on his behalf to the Japanese lords who already want him dead.
A Faithful Adaptation of a 1300-Page Epic
It feels like TV screens have been plagued with poor adaptations recently, with Netflix releasing their "fresh" take on Avatar: The Last Airbender just last week. Many of these adaptations find themselves making the mistake of changing for change's sake, and failing to truly understand what made the original work so beloved. Thankfully, Shōgun fans can breathe a sigh of relief, as the team behind its new adaptation, led by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, have brilliantly translated the 'war of translation' that is at the heart of Shōgun to TV.
Many fans were skeptical when FX announced the series, not because of quality concerns or casting issues, but purely because FX had greenlit Shōgun as a 10-episode limited series. The issue is that James Clavell's book stands at a whopping 1300 pages (roughly, depending on which version you buy), leading many to worry about how FX will fit the densely written narrative into just 10 episodes. However, Kondo and Marks have successfully trimmed the fat from the novel while retaining its heart in the process of translation. For a political thriller (under the guise of a samurai epic), Shōgun moves surprisingly fast, never giving audiences a chance to be bored. Kondo and Marks balance political scheming and religious prosecution with the action of violent samurai and ruthless assassins.
The main highlight of Shōgun , of which there are many, are the incredible performances from the entire cast. Jarvis excellently portrays Blackthorne, a cocky and confident English sailor, unable to accept his lack of power in Japan. It's also an absolute delight to watch the collection of some of Japan's most talented and celebrated actors given the opportunity to perform entirely in their native language.
Hiroyuki Sanada (John Wick 4) and Anna Sawai (Monarch: Legacy of Monsters) steal the show as Lord Toranaga and his faithful ward and translator, Mariko. Clavell's book is a story filled with pages and pages of inner-dialogue, which the actors are forced to convey with a single look, or almost unnoticeable grimace, and they do so perfectly. Tadanobu Asano (Thor) also stands out in the first two episodes as Yabu, a smaller Lord under Toranaga, who's loyalties twist and turn with every new opportunity and conflict.
Shōgun Is One of 2024's Big TV Events
In a world where every TV show is trying to be the next Game of Thrones, the endless clones often find themselves falling short because of their incessant imitation. Shōgun isn't trying to be the next Game of Thrones, and that's precisely why it has the potential to be. Unconcerned with comparisons, it feels evident that the show's creators and everyone involved were only concerned with making the series as strong as it can possibly be, and letting its quality speak for itself.
The landscapes and production design of Shōgun are also about as close to Feudal Japan as audiences can get to the time period, short of building a time machine. With a mixture of on-location shooting (primarily in Canada) and CGI, Shōgun throws its audience headfirst into the time period, as stunning landscapes show off the beautiful vistas and towering cities and castles that Blackthorne becomes lost in.
The cinematography adds another layer of beauty and mystery to the world. Director of photography Christopher Ross accentuates the beautiful kimonos and armor of the Japanese characters with contrasted lighting. Many of the scenes involving Toranaga, Mariko, and the late Taiko plunge the characters into silhouette against the flames of candles and pyres, softened by the paper screens of shoji doors. The entire narrative is also captured through a disorientating fish-eyed lense, which curves the edges of the shot, drawing audiences' attention to the center, whilst accentuating the complexity and ambiguity of the various schemes and plots. From fits function here, and Shōgun is all the better for it.
The first two episodes of Shōgun are currently available to watch on Hulu in the US, and on Disney+ worldwide. Subsequent episodes will be released weekly on Tuesdays, until the show's finale on April 23.
Watch Shogun
And if you're a fan of Hiroyuki Sanada, check out our interview with him and Shamier Anderson for John Wick 4 below:
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