Shōgun
Shōgun ⛩️ 将軍
“Every man has three hearts; one in his mouth for the world to know, another in his chest just for his friends, and a secret heart buried deep so no one can find it.”
Shōgun is the highly anticipated limited series based on the best selling novel by James Clavell, that is set to premiere on Disney+ and Hulu February 27th.
The story navigates between English pilot John Blackthornes determined efforts in severing the strategic relationship brewing between the Portuguese-Catholics and the Japanese, and Lord Yoshii Toranaga’s (Hiroyuki Sanada - John Wick 4, Bullet Train, Westworld) valiant attempt at bringing peace to the realm of the rising sun.
Both men have more in common than they realize, which leads into the beginning of a powerful 10-episode epic, where a war that has been waging in the shadows - must now face the light of day.
Shōgun is the first big event television series we’ve gotten since Game of Thrones, and not only does it live up to the hype, it absolutely nails the philosophy of war in ways I’ve never seen on screen before.
This is like Miyamato Musashi’s Book of Five Rings, meets Sun Tzu’s the Art of War.
It is a meticulously designed world that was made to get lost in, with characters that felt like they were ripped right out of Ukiyo-e painting. No part of this story is wasted, everything in it, even something that feels like a throwaway line, is a means to an end.
The noteworthy standout of the series was by far Tadanobu Asano. He plays Yabu Kashigi, a lord in his own right who has a wandering eye for power. To me he was the glue and catalyst of the entire story. His performance ranged from a man who admired the arts, to becoming a vital chess piece in this real life game of war being played out - and he played that to perfection.
This is a world where men and women are bound by honor, pledging themselves with undying devotion to either their Lord, God, or Realm - but the ones that move through life forgetting their place in it, regardless of who they’ve pledged themselves to, are most likely to be “forgotten before they can be remembered.”
For some this may not be the bloodbath filled story that is normally expected from large scale war stories of this caliber but like the show says “fighting doesn’t always mean stepping foot on the battlefield.”
To me this does what Game of Thrones did best, which is deliver on the political espionage aspect of war where “what’s happening in the shadows is a stark difference between what’s happening in the light.”
This also does the historical relationship between Christians and Japanese justice, in a way Martin Scorsese’s Silence (2016) was never able to fully capture.
It presents the dynamic between the two opposing (and at times joint) forces of a newly introduced religion, and a people that are feeling neglected by the powers that be, in a fascinating light.
There is a tug of war being played out between the believers and those who are loyal to the realm, and that conflict is an incredibly integral part of this multifaceted story about who will usher in this new age of Japan.
Shōgun is tantalizingly graceful, stoic, and savagely cutthroat. It is a masterclass in both storytelling and writing, and it is the first appointment viewing, can’t miss show of 2024.
Enjoy!
8.8/10 🍿 🎥
Runtime: 60mins
Episodes: 10
Where: Streaming Weekly on Disney+ February 27th.
Shōgun Review (2024) The Richmond Reviewer - February 20th, 2024.
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