UPDATE: 2 weeks after this video was published, it has been revealed that 2 more seasons have been green lit.

Toronaga saying Blackthrone made him laugh gave off real “he’s more of a pet” vibes

Given the state of television entertainment over the last decade, I'd say many people were hungry for this kind of series.

One more point on the weakness of Blackthorne's depiction. My impression (based on re-watching the old TV series and this one) is that one problem with him goes back to how the novel, the 1980 and the 2024 TV adaptation all make the mistake of subconsciously imagining Blackthorne to have a very modern, freedom- and equality-oriented mentality because England is after all a much freer country than everywhere else, isn't it? One has to keep in mind that the novel's author, James Clavell, spent several years in a WW2 Japanese POW camp, so obviously his personal experience was one of enormous contrast between British freedom and Japanese authoritarianism. But things absolutely weren't anything like that in 1599, and so as a historian of Europe in that period I could hardly bear watching him act as if every minute he was going to say "Who do these people think they are? How dare they think they are better than I am just because they are feudal lords with thousands of armed retainers?" The reality is that to early modern European travellers, the existence of very strict social hierarchies and massive inequality wasn't shocking at all; on the contrary, finding things like that in non-European civilisations tended to reasssure them that they were dealing with sophisticated people and complex societies that mirrored their own, rather than 'savages' without recognisable political structures. And while a European from the 2nd half of the 19th or from the 20th century might have acted a bit like novel or TV Blackthorne, that would have been because by then Europeans had developed much more powerful technology and racist pseudo-science, both of which meant they would usually look down even on high-ranking non-white people whom they considered inferior both racially and in terms of power. In 1600, however, neither of these factors existed: Adams alias Blackthorne would have considered the Japanese heathens who must eventually go to hell, but he would have had no meaningful concept of race or racism, and no steam-ships, machine guns, telegraph lines or anti-malaria remedies either, meaning there was absolutely no reason for him to feel stronger or more valuable than the Japanese. You can see the same with other Europeans who encountered the Ottomans, the Moghul Empire, The Persian Safawids or Ming and Qing China, to name just a few, all of them at the time considered to be interesting equals, or at worst, worthy adversaries. This would only gradually change in the 19th century.

I think you’re right. There are going to be two very divided opinions between those who read the book (or watched the 1980 mini-series,) and those who didn’t. I came in fresh, without any exposure to the material and knowing just enough history to keep track of who’s representing who. It’s one of the best limited series I’ve seen in ages. But I’m also not disappointed with Blackthorn, Mariko, and Toranaga because these are the only versions I’ve been exposed to. It sounds like the source material and sequence of events/character development are much loved. I can definitely see how people’s opinions would vary wildly.

Man I wish shows had director’s cuts 😂

Book reader and original miniseries lover here- I completely agree with all your points.

My favorite moment of the show, the moment that my mind involuntarily wanders to at night before I fall asleep, is that one moment in episode 10 when Torunaga's brother does that funny little shuffle walk across the room. It was everything.

I read the book in 1980 and haven't read it since. I loved the book with a passion, loved the 1980 mini series and absolutely adored this new version. When I saw it had been adapted again I was worried as there's always a chance that it would be ruined but I think they did such a good job with this. I was in tears at the end and not just because of the story, because I thought it was so well done and they'd honoured the story, even with the chages. An adaptation and a book will always be different and I did think this was amazing but having said that, I do agree that Blackthorn's story suffered, especially his relationship with Toranaga.

Maaaaan. Buntaro is the most relatable character in this series. Bro went from stubborn warrior, to angry husband who only wants his wife to love him to a man who accepts life at the end. Bro lost his father and wife in a short time also

I am one of the "book readers" and I loved this version of Toranaga. I'm not sure where your impression of him as flat comes from. If anything, he comes off as way more sympathetic and conflicted here. His ambition is way more ambiguous and you get the sense he really is a good man with great darkness in his heart. His plan did not "hinge" on Ochiba. At that point, he had no choice but to hope for that outcome. When he received her letter, you could see the tangible relief on his face. Not the face of a man who sees his plan come together as expected. He was not banking on it. Mariko's purpose was to turn Osaka against Ishido, not exclusively to move Ochiba's feelings.

The novel really deserves enough screentime to tell rhe story. It still hasn't gotten that from either adaptation.

I love how the 2024 adaptation of Shogun went with the bond of friendship between Lady Mariko and Lady Ochiba and how it would be key in determining whether Lady Ochiba would decide to support Ishido or withdraw her support and favour Toranaga at the Battle of Sekigahara.

Imagine Tokugawa Ieyasu never telling anyone in his team about the reasons he killed his own wife and son or sending Torii Mototada to die. How many of his retainers would still be with him? How many would have left? And how many would try to kill him like Mitsuhide did to Nobunaga? I mean, in real life, when Ieyasu killed his own wife and son and led his clan to many losing battles, albeit he announced his plan clear to his men what he’s gonna do, it’s still not enough to prevent someone from defecting. Ishikawa Kazumasa is a prime example. He was a retainer for Ieyasu ever since childhood but thanks to Ieyasu’s reckless decisions (that Kazumasa perceived), he found Ieyasu to be a lost cause and defected to Hideyoshi instead. And this was after Ieyasu had told everything to him. It was so bad that Ieyasu had to change all the inner workings of the Tokugawa afterward because Kazumasa knew too much and he couldn’t let himself be snitched. Toranaga, on the other hand, opened all the floodgates for rebellion (Nagakado and Hiromatsu’s deaths were so unnecessary). The show tried too hard to make as soulless and evil as Tywin Lannister. The difference is that Tywin’s flaws were on purpose and we are supposed to see them as flaws. Meanwhile, Toranaga’s flaws were meant to be overlooked and being seen as his supreme intelligence instead.

I think the biggest issue was trying to rush everything along in just 10 episodes - this show really deserved 2 or 3 seasons to flesh it out and steady the pace. still loved it for what it was and all the actors involved were fantastic.

If Tokugawa Ieyasu did what Toranaga did in this show, especially this version, his shogunate would have fallen way faster than the Toyotomi.

Never read the book, don't really care to. With zero expectations, I thought this was an amazing series. That being said, I had the opposite opinion of Toronaga as presented in this series. I thought the character was brilliant personally. Never considered his character was one dimensional, on the contrary complex and masterful. His portrayal reminds me of Edward James Olmost and his ability to act without acting. I understand the feelings of the book police, and/or historians are a little more animated with their opinions. It's personal, I get it. But from pure fictional story telling, production, and cast of characters. It's far more entertaining than anything out there the past 10 years, Japanese or otherwise. Thoroughly enjoyed this series. I hope they stop, but as we know they will probably make more because money talks. But who knows, it could surpass the original story.

As somebody who really appreciated your Sengoku Jidai series, I am glad you enjoyed the show as I think it is a masterpiece. I respectfully disagree with your comments about including the battle of Sekigahara. As you mention, the show runners followed the Book time span and ending . We have all seen what happens when show runners try to write beyond their source material! Second this is a fictional universe that has no requirement to follow the history exactly. In this universe, the thrust of Toranaga’s strategy is that of Sun Zu: win the battle before it is fought. The line of those wanting to go to battle as being those who have never fought is important there. Showing the battle for me would have completely undermined the inner journeys we were witnessing of a show that showed you can have drama and tensions without wham bam all the time. Having read the book, loved the original series, I think each stands on its own as something enjoyable. The more balanced view here is what I liked with Blackthorne being our window into a culture we don’t understand but slowly grow to appreciate. I wish more series were as nuanced as this one, I recommend a second watch without the second guessing anticipation of whether they will show the battle.

I wish they made the connection between Toranaga and Blackthorne like Watanabe and Cruise in the last samurai

The story is fiction loosely based on historical characters. The novel has standard tropes having a high born woman, Mariko, be in an affair with an English sailor. Historically that is absurd but it adds romance novel level entertainment. In the 1980 miniseries that romance is a major focus of the story. In the 2024 series that romance is reduced and there is more focus on the politics of Japan. I preferred that. In terms of the production, the 2024 series looks like an epic movie while the 1980 series looks like a typical 1970s-80s TV show. The new production is of higher quality imo. While the portrayal of Toranaga (Tokugawa) is drastically changed, being placed in a much weaker position compared with history, this is effective as a plot device to add more tension to the story. It is still a window into some of the customs of Bushido in Japan. Imo one should keep in mind that the leaders of this era have reached legendary status in Japanese culture including with Nobunaka, Mitsuhide, Hideyoshi and Tokugawa. In the new series Toranaga is far above everyone else in understanding what is going on, giving support to the idea that he will be a great ruler for Japan.

I totally agree, Toshiro Mifune's Toranaga was far better.

Thanks for your full review on the show!

The biggest problem with Shogun 2024 is the lack of time available to truly delve into Clavell's story, which is populated with very fleshed out characters and plotlines. So many interesting plots and ideas had to be truncated, or eliminated altogether. Like the 1980 series, they had to pick something to focus on, while excluding other elements. The Jesuit plotline was significantly reduced, and John and Mariko's development was significantly truncated. In the novel, Mariko teaching John was a significant device to teach the reader about everything from language, to cultural practices, to philosophy. There are many things I enjoyed about Shogun 2024, however there are also issues I have with it. It's a complicated thing to reconcile, particularly as a lifelong fan of the novel. My final thought will be to one of Clavell's biggest themes; the clash of cultures, and finding bridges and transformation in between. It's something that permeates most of his novels, and I imagine that it might have something to do with his experiences as a POW during WWII. That idea is really a bit muddled in the 2024 series.

I need this show to be physically released it was truly a masterful crafted show

3:50 compare the lighting, coloring and framing of the "Blackthrone Draws a Map of the World" scene between this version and the original to see just how much life, and color they sucked out of this one. Why do they think Japan only exists in perpetual Grmm Dark and greyscale. The whole point is to make Japan look lighter, brighter, cleaner and more colorful than Europe. They did the opposite.

Interestingly, I think Blackthorne had more chemistry with Fuji than he did with Mariko.

Thank you for taking the time to upload this review, I enjoyed watching it!

Thank you so much for the overall review

Toranaga was my biggest let down. When I saw the first trailer for this I thought wow not only are we getting a modern Shogun show but mf Hiroyuki Sanada is playing Toranaga?? This should be the best performance of his career! But it just wasn’t. And I think the biggest part is his personality. Toranaga in this show always felt like he had somewhere else to be and more important shit to do. And when you see how busy Sanada was behind the scenes (literally finishing a scene as an actor then quickly getting out of costume to go be present for another scene as a producer) it makes sense bc that’s probably how he felt. Stressed out.

I had first watched the original miniseries some 25 years ago, and it essentially kickstarted my interest in Japanese history (had always been a history guy). I also read the book quite a few times. I went into the new miniseries with some major reservations, considering Hollywood's ability to basically ruin everything if not careful enough, but with some hope. And we are in luck because it was a really good show. Of course nostaligia makes it at times difficult to accept new versions (John Rhys-Davis was the better Rodriguez, and Damien Thomas the much more imposing Pater Alvito) but many things turned out well, and the changes of certain scenes or ways to handle topics put an interesting spin to things. And it is great that they made the Japanese perspective the main one again.

my thoughts are close to yours, i liked it a lot but it wasn't perfect, witch is fine nothing ever is really, i think for all its negatives the positives far out weigh them, to me it felt like they were trying to take a different approach to this story while actually respecting the source material unlike so many other stories that just claim they do

I agree with most of the points you make. I understand the desire to change from a Blackthorne-centric POV but think they went way too far in the other direction. By so substantially diminishing Blackthorne, they also diminished Toranaga and Mariko. Toranaga immediately recognized Blackthorne's value as a potential weapon against his enemies, and his initial assessment was strengthened by the rapidity of Blackthorne's assimilation - which relied hugely on Blackthorne's relationship with Mariko, their constant interactions during which she helped him understand Japanese culture and customs, their view about the transcience of life and karma. Mariko reveals herself to Blackthorne in ways she didn't with anyone else, and understanding how she had accommodated the travails and contradictions of her life taught him how to do the same. What she told him about why she resisted and would always resist Buntaro tells us who this woman really was at the core and makes her bold confrontation of Ishido more comprehensible. In that scene she felt alone and isolated - except for Blackthorne, who stood beside her with his hand on his short sword, so she knew without being told that her fight was his fight, even if he didn't understand what it was about. The deaths of Naga and Hiro-matsu were a gratuitous addition that further diminished Toranaga, detracting from his numerous behind-the-scenes machinations that showed his patience and cunning and brilliance as a strategist and why it was no surprise that he prevailed. The entire series gave him short shrift in the same way. You're spot-on about Ochiba: with Ishido's bungling that led to Mariko's death, Toranaga gained many key allies whose families were also being held hostage in Osaka (Japan had over 260 daimyos), and this probably more than anything made Ochiba realize the calculus had changed and that letting the Heir take the field against Toranaga would end in his death. It was Mariko who told Toranaga she had to go to Osaka, on the day of the earthquake; he agreed because he knew she was right, that she was the only one who could bring about the release of the hostages. And when he releases his favorite hunter into the wild in her honor, he likens her to a peregrine and muses that "a little slip of a woman" could wreak such vengeance on the Taiko, her father's killer, and honors her for fulfilling their most important rule: that a dutiful son or daughter may not rest while the murderer of her father still lives. The series was beautiful to look at but so much meaningful context and substance was lost that I was ultimately disappointed.

For a character name "Toranaga"(Tiger Chief/Lord), this guy's portrayal was less intimidating than a 2 week old kitten. Apparently, just staring off into space with no expression whatsoever, is what "tigers" do.....I guess :/

Great review. You mirrored most of my own sentiments regarding this adaptation of the story. Thank you.

I know the novel, the 1980 series and the actual history. Now the new series. I love them all in different ways. What I really missed was the color of Japanese culture during the time period. Great video, thanks for posting!

I think book readers would enjoy it more, if they thought of it as a different historical fiction about the same time period than the book.

I believe there was a lot of scenes cut from the final release. Moeka Hoshi Fuji’s actress posted in her instagram a choreography of she fighting 2 sword welding samurai with a naginata. Then all we got was she practicing the Naginata for a short while. So there’s probably much more cut. Also, I believe they should have divided the series in two seasons so they could tell much more of the story without having to rush it in only 10 episodes.

Very fair review. I'm glad someone else noticed the bleakness. That was the biggest difference between this version and the 80s version, IMO.

Didn’t realize I’d like this review so much. Spot on. Didn’t read the book, only made it half way through the series, which was my top pick from SDCC 2023.

Excellent, detailed review. This first season was shot in Vancouver, Canada. The Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington and British Columbia) is famous for its seemingly endless rainfall and cloud cover. It might not have been production’s choice to have so many bleak outdoor scenes.

Amen to that! Thank you for such an even-handed, good and (of course!) most interesting assessment of the 2024 series. I strongly agree and won't repeat the details of why, as I have explained my view in comments on previous videos of yours (short version: Toranaga's strategy as imagined in this series would be suicidal, because pretending to be hopelessly defeated would irreversably scare away all the potential allies he needs so much, and then hinges entirely on his psychic ability to predict that Ochiba will make an equally suicidal decision for no good reason whatsoever). I'll just add one point to what you rightly said about including or not including Sekigahara, i.e. that a good series without showing the battle was not impossible, but that it was absurd when people claimed how wanting to see the battle must be a sign of immaturity - and that one point is that there is a difference between, on the one hand, a general historical TV series not showing any battle, any large-scale fighting at all, and on the other hand, a historical TV series ABOUT WARLORDS and the WARRIOR NOBILITY serving them omitting all fighting of more than a few dozen men. War was literally the profession of all the Japanese male protagonists, and not (as it would become after 1615) a purely theoretical one either, so it seems incomplete - and I say that as someone who very much likes depiction of intricate diplomatic and court intrigues - to not even once show them practicing it on a larger scale. Furthermore, the very reason why both historians and a broader public take so much interest in this part of Japanese history is precisely that it was the time when 150 years of almost continous civil war were ended by a final battle which then led to roughly 250 years of uninterrupted peace. More specifically, the Japanese armies of 1600 had not only developed a highly complex form of warfare on their own, but had also taken up European firearms so successfully that by then they were at least as good as, and possibly better than their European contemporaries at the level of infantry tactics. It is a historically rare instance of a non-European culture taking up a European advantage so quickly that that alone (though to be fair it was only one of a great number of factors) meant European colonisation of early modern Japan would never be on the cards. Taking all that into account, I think that the wish to actually see Sekigehara play out, while perhaps unrealistic within the constraints of this adaptation's time and budget ressources, was perfectly legitimate. Finally, thanks for calling out all the AI cr*p out there! The "best" ones I saw all featured an AI "photograph" of an imaginary William Adams and his Japanese family... But however depressing this stuff is, at the same time your videos are also the perfect illustration of just how gigantic the gap continues to be between the productions of a very knowledgeable and analytically-minded person on the one hand and, on the other hand, the absolute dung produced by subliterate content farmers using the glorified version of predictive text which they mistake for intelligence.

Can't say I disagree with the criticism of the main trio. While I think Anna Sawai could get an Emmy nomination for her performance, I won't disagree that her character was cold towards blackthorne and the disagreements about her role as a translator only vs something more was touched on a little but the romance should have had more prominence. I will also admit that Richard Chamberlain as blackthorne was a lot more likeable than the 2024 version

100% agree with all your points. Especially regarding the chemistry between blackthorne and mariko. I totally didn’t think about how crimson sky relied on lady ochiba turning and you’re so right about her motivations not making any sense. The writers didn’t think it through apparently, which is highly disappointing.

Slightly off topic, but do you have a review of Taiko by Yoshikawa? 😊

I read the book at the time of the 1980 series and have to confess that I almost have forgotten about the content, so I can‘t judge about the differences beetwen the book and the new 2024 series. But I saw now the 1980 series again for comparison. I have to agree with you about the look of the new version that there is almost no sun in this land of the rising sun. It is always dark and rainy, and so even the colorful robes couldn‘t unfold there true splendor. And all the Samurai armor, so historical accurate the might are, they looked all the same and you can‘t differ the men of Ishido from the men of Toranaga. In the 80 serie the men of Ishido have worn grey and the men of Toranaga brown so you could see directly to which fraction a Samurai belongs. I don‘t know if this is historical correct but it helped to distinguish the soldiers. And I totally agree with you that the love story in the old series was more important than anything else. I have to confess that it annoys me sometimes so much, that I fast forwarded some of the scenes. And Toranaga in the old series was not so serious for my taste like I imagined such a military commander should be. Perhaps in this case I give the dance scene to much credit. But there is another point where I agree with you. In contrast to the various facial expressions of Toshiro Mifune, Hiroyuki Sanada had nearly always the same facial expression and showed almost no emotion, except one short smile before he beheaded Yabushige. And I liked this charakter Yabushige in the new series much better as Yabu in the old series, he was a much more complex character, and the same applies for Ishido, Buntaro, Ochiba and Nagakado. So this is the main difference between the old series where Blackthorne, Mariko and Toranaga were the main characters. And Mariko in the old series was more emotional and likeable than in the new series where they made her more stronger, according to the modern times where we see more strong female characters. And of course so she had now fighting scenes with some guards and the Shinobis. If I‘m not mistaken, there were no such scenes in the book. When the old series took to much time for the love story, in the new series there was nearly no time for romance and I could not feel that there is a big love between Mariko and Blackthorne. But I also enjoyed the show very much and I liked espevially the more serious and political approach to the story. And I liked the play of Hiroyuki Sanada very much, but you opened my eyes and so I see now the role of Toranaga a bit different than before.

I watched the 1980 series as a teenager already interested in Japanese history, maybe over 20 years ago. I watched the 2024 series having just returned to my home country from a near-8-year period of living in Japan. And I do have to agree with what you say. One more thing, though, is how much more culturally sensitive the 2024 series is, I think... the 1980 series played to a lot of stereotypes and the 'exotic oriental and white man' tropes of Hollywood at that time. My (Japanese) wife and I agree that the current series felt like an NHK drama. It often (not always) felt like a production that could have been done in Japan. We never read the book, though. We're interested in picking it up, though, thanks to this series!

As a book reader and watcher of the original, I loved this version. The declaration of 3 hearts was sufficient for me for Toranaga’s secrecy and Mariko’s hesitance with JB. I felt this adaptation made efforts to be more Japan-centric and offer elevated roles for actresses. But yeah that meant JB’s journey was back burnered - which meant ep 10 was more epilogue but it had incredibly moving moments. I appreciate your thoughtful piece. And I’m one of those new subscribers.

Can you make a review of thw book Musashi from Eiji Yoshikawa?

Well written review with valid criticisms and praise.

Spitting on the legacy of James Clavell!

an excellent review, documented and argued! Quality not quantity!

I 100% agree with everything you said. Best review I’ve watched, this coming from someone who’s read the book and watched both series.

As I do share all of your sentiments on the show, I gotta give this show credit as it's the one that started my curiosity on Japanese history - which has now led me to completing your series on the Sengoku Jidai.

Ok, just to settle my background: Didn't read the book, watched the 1980's show, then this one. Funnily enough, there are hints and small scenes that could have established the love between Blackthorne and Mariko, with her visit to him in Anjiro ("Ajiro" in the Dutch language subtitles?) at night after Buntaro's supposed death, trying to wave that away as a courtisane she and Fuji arranged, and later, when Toranaga gifts him a visit to Kiku, Kiku immediately senses the relationship and hides herself behind Mariko, so what she says appears to come straight from Mariko to Blackthorne. But I agree that, while preventing the overly up-frontness of the 1980's series, it become a constant "now are they, or are they not?" This makes Blackthorne's scene in the rowboat with Fuji all the more surprising, because the strength of the relationship was so well hidden. So I totally agree with your remark that the three main characters suffered from the amount of time spent on others, even though I loved that deepening of their backgrounds. I guess only more episodes could have solved this. For Blackthorne, my constant question was if we should root for him or not. In the 80's version, any reference to the Dutch ship being a pirate ship is resolutely dealt with as propaganda by the Portugese, whereas here the suggestion is created that the logs actually prove this qualification. Even Blackthorne finally shouting at Toranaga "I USED YOU" confused the hell out of me, because I thought Blackthorne was never in a position to actually be a high-level "player". Also the drawing of the world map, why drag in Macao? Just the treaty of Tordesillas and the papal support for the subdivision of the world is already enough to cast doubt on them. No need to make the Dutch fleet a war-party aimed at attacking and destroying Portugese and Spanish settlements, because that legitimizes the anti-Blackthorne propaganda. The folk providing the capital for the fleet were merchants, not the government. So the foul-mouthing Blackthorne is for me much less a character to root for, because I cannot get my head around the question if he is a player, or a pawn. As for Toranaga, yes, I agree that his plans are too hidden to make sense to the viewer. You actually can get a feeling that Toranaga is forced into some choices, as when he visits the grave of his son and thanks him for the time his rash murder attempt and subsequent death bought him. Actually, that remark from him to Yabushige "I don't force the wind, I just observe it" (paraphrased) is closer to the Tokugawa Ieyasu of history, but he was still a great long-term planner.

I would have recommended against you reading the book before watching the series. It sets up so many expectations that any deviation from it is magnified ten-fold. Add the fact that you study much about Japan's history, it can tend to make you overthink instead of just enjoying the show. I have very rarely come away from a movie version of a book where I wasn't sadly disappointed because I read it before seeing it. I had the same trepidation here because I did read the book years ago. And I too know a bit about Japan's history. Yet, somehow I was able to put my mind in a place distant enough that I could be less critical of any of those deviations. For example, for me, how Buntaro was portrayed in this version was a refreshing change. Especially because of who his character is based on in real-life. And Fuji (Fujiko in the the book) quickly became one of my favorite characters. I loved that girl! But I was also quite happy with how Mariko and Ochiba were portrayed. I think many are taken aback because they were not shown as the stereotypical passive Japanese woman so many in the West have come to expect. But instead they were shown as women of strength, influence and resolve. Let's be real here, Ochiba scared the crap out of me every time she was on screen. Finally, I think not adding a battle at the end was the right call. I know many were disappointed. And had I not known the book ended without that battle either, I would have felt the same. But the show and the book was never about the last battle. It was always about the political intrigues, machinations and maneuverings of Toranaga and his enemies. It really is possible to love both mini-series versions and the book.

I waited to respond to your review until after my library colleagues had finished watching the series and came to me to discuss it. I had read the novel when it was first published (loved it), and seen the 80s era series. Both experiences drove my excitement for this adaptation. Regarding your comment about people having a more positive take on the series if they hadn't read the book or seen the other series, that seems to be holding true. My colleagues loved the series, and took it as it was presented. None of them had read Clavell's novel, nor seen the 80s adaptation for television. My own reaction was similar to yours. I liked the aesthetic and attention to detail in the work very much. The battle was incidental to the story, so I didn't miss it here. However, while I thoroughly enjoyed they way this adaptation fleshed out side characters and let them shine, I wish they could have done so while keeping the central characters strong in the storytelling. I feel like the soul of the story had been stripped away without the strong relationships between Blackthorn, the Lady Toda and Lord Toranaga. Mariko's courage and power were the essential core of the storyline, and she seemed diminished somehow in this version. Mifune's a very hard act to follow in any capacity, so I won't fault Sanada for taking his character in another direction. However, Tokugawa Ieyasu was a powerful peronality. Mifune embraced and expressed that power to the very end of his performance. Sanada started there, but seemed to fade away from it toward the end. I honestly don't understand why he and the writers made the choices they did regarding that central character. It was disappointing. I had sold my copy of Shogun many years ago, and have just replaced it in my personal library. It's on my TBR stack for the summer. Perhaps we could all use a little of Mariko's steadfast strength right about now. The inspiration will certainly serve me well. Thank you for the rich content and analysis. I'll be visiting from time to time. -- Debra

I have just finished the series and as a lover of the original series and book, I am relieved to find your channel. Although a top notch series, which I enjoyed immensely, I did feel it suffered from "no main character" syndrome. Accordingly, I felt there was a severe lack of focus which diminished the overall emotional impact of the story. Were they going for a Game of Thrones approach? As for the rain... was this a constriction of the filming location? It certainly doesn't rain that much over here in Japan during the winter.

They really fleshed out all the minor characters, to the point I groaned a bit when it cut to the main characters (especially Blackthorn). Despite the problems though, this was an absolute blast of a show. I will defo check out the original series!

Hey, it rains in British Columbia. If they had waited for sunny days, they would never have finished the show.... I agree with almost all of your criticism.

I should note that I found your channel while specifically seeking out someone's review of this that was familiar with both the original adaptation and the book. To that end, your reviews of the show have been exactly what I had hoped for in terms of material comparison. I will add one thing about Toronaga and Ochiba that actually unserscores your point about them even more: Toronaga's relationship with Ochiba was completely different in the book for a key reason that was left out of both shows: he alone had knowledge to reasonably doubt the legitimacy of her son as the Taiko's heir (and she knew this-she knew if Toronaga won both she and her son were dead). His plan to ultimately consolidate power for himself wasn't even revealed until the final pages of the book, and even then was framed in the context of him wishing to punish the treachery he perceived her to have committed. In short, the idea of Ochiba siding with Toronaga (or against Ishido) was never even on the table in the book.

I genuinely have no idea what they were thinking with Toranaga's endgame. As you stated, it's stupid from both a writing standpoint and a basic psychological standpoint to expect Ochiba to EVER EVER betray the interests of her son, much less herself. We already had a pretty smart plan in the book, that being the defection of the Christian daimyo which would be more than enough to defeat both Ishido and Ochiba. I dont understand why they dumbed down Toranaga's plan beyond simply wanting to deliberately deviate from the book.

3:00 is a perfect example of the terrible lighting, filming, and blocking of shot. It also uses the same sickly, streetlamp yellow and drab, blue-grey color pallet in every shot to play off the old "Blue & Orange" color theory trick, but it just looks terrible and fake in every way. Oh, and the perpetual SMOG too. LOL!

I have to agree with u a lot about your thoughts because they mirror my own, I have not read the book but plan to buy it at some point, some characters were portrayed better than others there was a lot of stuff that was rushed or done later on, overall I enjoyed the whole series like u said it wasn't perfect, but overall very well done the costumes, music acting was done well not for everyone though.

Overall, I am ok with this show. If I had never read the book or saw the 1980 show, I'd give this show a higher rating but because I read the book and watched the 1980 show and currently rewatching it, the new show is lower because of how it diverge from the source quite a bit. I also agree that we SHOULD have the big battle at the end because the focus has been taken away from Blackthorne by so much that it is needed as a conclusion for the Japanese characters. Because the book and 1980 show centers around Blackthorne's POV for much of the plot, he did not need to witness this event. The 2024 Mariko is too stand off ish and even Fujiko. They all lacked the life they had. As the lore states, the Japanese have 3 hearts but it seemed like Mariko and Fujiko were not presenting the "heart" that hides their true self. We constantly see them either cold or depressed. They need to be more lively. I also prefer how they changed a bit more of Fujiko. If I remembered correctly, she remained with Blackthorne in the book. Blackthorne also became good friends with Yabu and Omi with John give Kiku's contract to him out of respect. There was a lot of real bonding moments with John and the Japanese characters, especially Toronaga. He was getting used to life in Japan. He had samurai retainers and his relationship with the Spaniard was fun. We missed out of so much resolution between John and the Portuguese Personally, I do not like Ochiba's interpretation as well as Mariko and how they pretty much are stringing along the men in their lives. This feels like modern writing trying to "enhance" the roles of women in this time period and that's why the romance with Mariko and John was so forced and stiff.

100% agree about the use of colour (or lack thereof!)

Agency and fate, cultural confluences, power, ambition and how people fit within these motions and philosophies. The book chooses to focus on 3 main characters to bring forth these themes. The show expands this focus to an ensemble. We can choose to be annoyed by their discrepancies or to enjoy the uncommon gift of 2 very powerful depictions of the same themes, albeit via different artistic choices. I'm very grateful to have this rare opportunity.

As James Clavell had already taken license with the actual historical event's and names of character's, it's hard to criticise the 2024 for not following the book. After all the book dosn't follow history.

20:27 "The Battle of Smokey-gahara"???...Seriously, why is EVERY shot slathered in smog, jaundiced yellow and terrible lighting. In what universe is that a "good shot"? It's literally painful to look at.

I haven't read the book, so I really enjoyed the show. The only criticism I have is Ochiba turning on Ishido because of Mariko. Given how ruthless Ochiba is portrayed in earlier in the show I doubt she'd so easily align herself with Toranaga. Also, it seemed to need more episodes. However, those are minor issues. The series is truly excellent. I give it a 9.5/10.

i never read the book nor did i know really any of the history but I absolutely loved this series and it got me hooked into learning more about ancient japan. got me playing shogun2 like crazy now and bout to load up bannerlord japan mod when i get home

Can anyone recommend a non-fiction history book of the Sengoku period?

I thought Alvito was portrayed as way too meek and naive in this version.

Hiroyuki Sanada was a producer in this show and involved in so many things and yet he allowed himself to be wasted on this toronaga. He was weak, secretive and barely expressed any emotion other than this general apathy. He hid too much of his intentions and it was all done for the sake of shocking and surprising the audience

I would absolutely love to see the same production team do a series on the other two Great Unifiers. Nobunagas rampages and Hideyoshis war in Korea would be full of the action many want along with the intrigue.

It's interesting how different the new series feels to the 1980 adaptation despite being based on the same novel. Sort of reminds me of the new Dune films and the original movie from 1984. I'd say I agree with most of what you said about the strengths and weaknesses of each series. Shogun is one of my favorite books and I'm glad that it has two great and widely different adaptations.

I can't believe you needed telling to read the book. And when you 'read' the book, you listened to the book.

After it was over I went back and watched the 1980 version and now I'm not as picky about the over done love element as I was before. Like you said in this review I wanted them to tone down the love story, but instead they subdued it to almost nothing. I also want to say that I liked Lord Yabu more in this version. At the end of the day it seems like he just wants to keep his head and his fief. I wasn't very happy with the name change though. It didn't make much sense to me. It almost reminded me of a certain LA Mayor who wanted to sound more Hispanic so he modified his name. In much the same way I can imagine someone in the writers room saying "lets change Yabu to Yabushige so he sounds more Japanese." I wished we had more than one season to do this story. The 10 episode format just doesn't work for an epic like this. Anyway, a side from episode 9 I won't be watching this series anytime soon.

You were spot-on about all of the AI-generated "Shogun" channels--many of which can be detected by listening to their awful pronunciations of Japanese names and places. As a Japanese speaker, hearing their Ai-generated accounts is like hearing nails on a chalkboard to my ears. Overall, I also agreed with your review since I read the book, watched the 1980's show, have a degree in Japanese, and I've lived in Japan for 25 years. Both adaptations were good, but like "Game of Thrones," "Ozark," or "Battlestar Galactica 2005," the finales were disappointing.

I read the book when the original series came out. I expected to be mildly bored by a modernized remake. Instead, I was engrossed in a great story that differed enough from the original that it felt like a new story--no doubt helped by 50 years since I first read the book and saw the miniseries. Yes, I knew Mariko would die, and Toronaga would win--and that he would burn Blackthorn's boat. But the additional subplots, characters and surprises were much appreciated. Without a doubt, the original miniseries is more like the book, but our modern approach these days to historical periods and foreign cultures is much more accurate than it was back then. I also feel the shift in emphasis from Blackthorn to Toronaga was an improvement. After all, it's called Shogun, not Anjin or Pilot. My only complaint is I would have liked to see one more interaction between Blackthorn and his frenemy Rodrigues.

I have read the book, saw the 1980 series 3x, and watched this. The 2024 version was made to have the battle at the end.

As a fan of the book (I've read it at least 20 times back in the day, I guess), I still liked this show. But my complains are similar to yours, though I somehow liked the more serious Toranaga too. But I agree, that banking on Ochiba turning was not clever. I don't know, why people get the impression, you don't like the show, I watched your episode reviews and they were always pretty balanced and more often than not I was in agreement and I do like the show despite the faults. I often compare the books a lot with their adaptations and sometimes come out frustrated - I must be one of the few Tolkien fans not liking the LotR adaptation, but I think, this show at least gives a good taste of what to expect in the book. I agree, that Mariko was not well done here, to no fault of the actress, mind you, and Blackthornes seppuku attempt should have been sooner and in teh right context. It was much more powerful in the book and the old adaptation than here. I loved Fujiko here though and her growing friendship with Blackthorne - which seemed to be more important than the one with Toranaga here or the short romance with Mariko. And I agree, that it would be worth watching the old show on top of reading the book, because all three bring something to the table. Btw. Shogun is the reason, I stumbled over your channel :) .

For someone who never heard of the book or the adaptation or the history before now (which I am now very much into) I think they made it amazing and this definitely stuck the landing for me but it should have been at least two seasons

I totally agree with you. In the final moments of the show, I felt a bit confused. But I was not sure if I had missed some points. Now that I have distance myself a bit, I can say it for sure... Too many things did not make any sense. Good show, but far from great or perfect... (7 katanas out of 10)

Just saw the announcement that they are, in fact, making a season 2. I wonder where they're going with it

James Clavell wrote several other novels beside Shogun. Probably his best of those was Tai-Pan, set in 19th century British Hong Kong. That book got made into a movie and eventually spawned several sequels. While the second of those got its own miniseries (Noble House, starring Pierce Brosnan) the first one changed the setting to Japan (also 19th century), and has some connections to Shogun.

Shogun proved to be an exceptional television series, earning a perfect score of 10/10 in my assessment. Its captivating storytelling and remarkable execution left a lasting impression on me.

I have not read the book (but might listen to the audio book in the future) and thus really liked the show. I felt the ending was very abrupt. I see how the story would not need the battle but the show very much did. I was very happy that there was no prevalent depiction of a love story but felt irritated by the seemingly ever changing signals from Mariko. My biggest disapointment was also Toronaga because he felt way too absent. I actually thought that he would finally shine in the final battle or siege (I am also not very educated when it comes to history [yet]) which could have taken two episodes on its own with proper preperation and aftermath. The relationship between Toronaga and Blackthorne also felt weird because they put the bonding race to the shore in the show and then cut everything that could have happened off by putting Mariko in the middle, "sending" Toronaga away and letting him keep all his scheming and planning for himself. And even for someone who have neither read the book nor being educated in Japanese history it felt very wrong and weird that the entire plan rested on Ochiba ... firstly because her character was so distrustful towards Toronaga and secondly because it seemed like a very big "IF" for a well thought out plan.

8:08 is when he actually starts sharing examples of what he disliked

I’m with you mate, it was excellent! And yeah, read the original, saw the 80’s adaptation and enjoyed the ‘24 remake. FANTASTIC!

Vancouver apologizes for the wet rainly look of the show 😅😅

I'm just now reading the book but honestly I found Blackthorne's attempted seppuku at the end of the story much more credible. For someone who fights to keep living as fiercely as he does, who finds the Japanese view of death to be incomprehensible, why would he commit suicide for people he doesn't know, doesn't understand, and at such an early point, doesn't even like very much? I understand that he's appalled that a whole village could be put to death if he doesn't learn Japanese but couldn't he choose the option of learning the language in the given time period to save them and if he doesn't meet the mark then threaten to kill himself?!?! It made much more sense to me after he had time to understand the Japanese, to love Maiko and through her understand the value of honorable sacrifice. It's a reflection on how much he has changed, to do something he would have considered unthinkable in the beginning.

I would love to see a feature film or miniseries based upon the lead up and eventual confrontation between Minamoto and Taira forces at the Battle of Dan-no-ura, which was fought on 25 April 1185.

In my opinion, the 2024 Mariko wasn't altogether cold and uncaring unlike the 1980s version. Rather the kindness that we see her exhibit as well as her affections for Blackthorne are all part of her "hidden heart" which she only reveals in very specific and fleeting moments, and more importantly, only to Blackthorne in particular. And this indeed has a purpose because at times when she becomes sentimental ("reveals her hidden heart" so to speak), she has to hide such sentiments again as she is reminded of her trauma and her duty to accomplish to her family and to Toranaga. It is painful for her to have to choose between her duty and Blackthorne (who represents Freedom). And this is a choice that she continues to make until her finest hour, knowing that duty has to win in the end, thus explaining why she tries to distance herself from Blackthorne at times to make the choice less painful as possible. So at the very least, when Mariko and Blackthorne are not alone, a simple handholding manages to accomplish the same level of affection as a passionate kiss does. And this makes the romance between the two really that much more deeper, despite the apparent subtleties and distant treatment because you could even see that the two cultures' concepts of love clash between Blackthorne and Mariko. With Blackthorne, you can understand that his concept of love is that of living for people whereas for Mariko, hers is one of fulfilling one's duty to another, even at pain of death. The two nearly conceded to the others' concept of love (Blackthorne offering himself as Mariko's kaishakunin, and Mariko nearly choosing to walk away from her duties) that we are offered a temporary moment to root for the two as it felt like an understanding between two culturally distinct characters is indeed possible. But we all know how Episode 9 ends, which makes it all the more sadder at the end of the episode that the whole thing was however, only temporary and fleeting.

I came in without reading the book and not remembering the 1984 series. I loved the series, and knew that this was a different retelling that featured the Japanese character more than the original one. So I had much higher hopes for following through seeing Toranaga's rise to power, because that seemed core to everyone's story and would have been a natural resolution. In the final episode, when we found out that Toranaga, as Yabushige said, "is just like everyone else" - just out for power and survival - it felt like the story was centered around entirely the wrong person. At that point, it was clear that Blackthorn was the main protagonist of the story, but he wasn't there for so much of it, and I actually didn't like him as a character in the beginning because he felt like just a Mcguffin tossed to other characters that we got to know more deeply. I got no sense of a romance between Blackthorn and Mariko - it seemed like it could have happened, but there was no sense of warmth and bonding. Which made that "live for me" in episode 9 feel "out of the blue". I had high hopes for a battle in episode 10, because it felt like the Toranaga's power struggle had become central to this retelling, but ... instead that arc in episode 10 wrapped up with something like a murder mystery reveal. Like a sneeze that never comes - I never felt the "Shogun" in Toranaga... But I still absolutely loved the series. We couldn't wait to see the new episode each week and it was the best thing on TV in such a long time! I'm really glad they remade this series and put such an emphasis on the Japanese characters, because 1980s Hollywood was a different world.

A very fair and balanced review. It helps me understand why just the sight of a screen shot of Toranaga, Mariko or Blackthorne is a complete turn-off, which is the feeling you get after you've been used. Can someone please tell me what is so great about the score? To my ears it was so generic - nothing discernibly Japanese - it was instantly forgettable.. The way they handled Blackthorne does make sense once you realize he's supposed to be a 'Ken.'

I prefer the direction they went with the new series over the book, it felt more grounded and realistic. Buntaro being a good example as a man who may be extremely harsh and dissatisfied, but also due to the circumstances of Mariko's personal history and coldness, angry at his inability to be what he needs for Mariko and what he wanted her to be for him. The book stylistically takes the main POV of Blackthorn and he 'is' the main character of that story, but the show has brought him down to the same level as everyone. When it starts it is his story, but as it goes on it becomes their story too. The exotic beauty falling into the arms of the White Hero is a tired old trope, and while I am definitely not opposed to it, I actually think it makes for a more realistic story when it is pruned back. Mariko placed priority of her duty over her desires, which in a way is also a Japanese kind of power fantasy but between the two it makes for a more compelling story. My only hope is they have the bravery to continue off script if they follow with a season 2 and try to keep the pace and consistency as they best interpret where this story would naturally go

I feel like, even if I hadn't read the book or seen the original series, I would have been very perplexed by the supposed romance between Blackthorne and Mariko, because they had no chemistry whatsoever and showed a lot more hostility than affection toward each other throughout the series. This also begs the question of where Blackthorne was learning Japanese from, because Mariko wasn't teaching it to him. You can't learn a language just by being around it a lot. Not as an adult. Little kids can, but their brains work differently. So yeah this adaptation handled Blackthorne and Mariko very poorly. And yeah I also really missed Rodriguez, though if you weren't familiar with the original story you probably wouldn't notice his absence. But I also think that, even if I hadn't seen the original show or read the book, I would have hated the gloomy color filters and constant rain and darkness (there IS sunshine in Japan, people), which is a problem with a lot of historical productions that treat the past as if proper daylight didn't even exist, and yeah Toranaga's plot all hinging on Ochiba switching sides was also incredibly dumb for the reasons you elaborated. I still found it an entertaining show, it had a lot of positive aspects, it did some things better than the original series or book did, but overall I would say this 2024 adaptation is by far the weakest iteration of the story. Which is a shame, because it had the potential to be truly great.

Semi agreement is what I am looking at. The first TV show brought an influx in the eighties that were whitewashed and grown to end with the abomination of teenage mutant ninja turtles. I'm sorry. I know I step on sore feet here, but it was more of an example of what I had to go through as a young individual. So I did like the new adaptation better and especially the part of yabu. To me, he was the golden era, the end, and the foundation of what I perceive to the better spirit in the new series.

There's a twofold drive to change the 2024 adaptation from the 1980 adaptation. Firstly, the audience is different. What might be palatable to the audience of 1980 may not be palatable to the audience of 2024 (mainly socio-cultural trends, and related to the second point). Secondly, Sanada pushed for as much historicity as possible. So things that may not be palatable to a 2024 audience may be justified if it's historically plausible. But things that aren't palatable to a 2024 audience, and are historically implausible on top of that, are out. So an orientalist romance that isn't likely as per 1600 is de-emphasised, and portrayed as may be more plausible for that setting. Keeping the story beats but taking a more Japanese perspective is in. One of the biggest changes is Hiromatsu's death. This was apparently at the instigation of his actor, who felt it would be in keeping with his character to take the fall to keep the other 3 generals in line. 3 > 1 and so on.

I wasn't sure about Mariko in early episodes, but came to really like her as things progressed. Her steel, intelligence and controlled reserve worked well for me and her addressing Ishido in Osaka in episode 9 brought everything great about her together into a powerful and incredible moment (and the kimono she was wearing was divine). I hated her dying (I came into this series with no prior knowledge of the story) though sensed it was coming, but to not actually see her funeral was a poor decision - it felt rushed and disrespectful to such a central character and I'd argue that almost everything felt a little rushed at the end. It needed AT LEAST another two episodes to do full justice to the story being told. That said, Shogun was overall exceptional imo and I truly hope that its success leads to more such high quality historical dramas being made.