Shogun (2024) Premiere: This Is Looking To Be One Of The Greatest Shows On Television!

Spoiler free review of the new show Shogun. This is Season 1 Episode 1: ‘Anjin’ and Episode 2: ‘Servants of Two Masters’: The highly anticipated premiere of FX‘s new series Shogun has finally arrived, transporting viewers back to feudal Japan in the year 1600. Developed for television by Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, this adaptation of James Clavell‘s bestselling 1975 novel promises all the political backstabbing, bloody battles, and cultural clashes you could want from a prestige drama set during this tumultuous period.

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[dyingearth]

Actually I don't think in terms of language, English is hardly ever spoken since he's literally the first English in Japan. Blackthorn would've been speaking Dutch with the rest of the VoC crew. He spoke Portuguese with the Jesuits and Latin with Mariko in private. He would later learn Japanese. They render Blackthorn's languages to just English to simplify it for audience.

[mp]

i'm old enough to remember watching the original but young enough to recall nothing of it.

[chilajeffrey]

This series is so so good I hate to wait till next week for another episode 😫 😩
Love these actors 👏 👏👏👏👏

[Swimmaroo]

I remember watching the original Shōgun in 7th grade. I immediately started reading the book and they are both amazing 🤩 i am so excited about this new series. I already really enjoyed the first 2 episodes!

[GodzillaX]

The costumes, sets, and props looked so good. The film crew also have a fantastic eye for lighting

[marconeves]

So far, it's been great. That ending in ep 2 was incredible. Hopefully it stays that way (wow, I'm so jaded nowadays). Edit: I speak a bit of Japanese, and yes - the Japanese dialogue is Old Japanese. I'm noticing PLENTY of old phrases, especially "de gozaimasu/de gozaru" at the end of sentences, plus not "arigato" but it's always "katajikenai". Even the way they pronounce their "n" (as in "arimasen") at the end of their negatives sounds more like "arimasenu". I dunno, I'm still learning all this stuff.

[greghenrikson]

I was a kid when the original came out, and it blew my tiny mind. This one is sails on deeper, older waters. It's exactly what I wanted. I'm eagerly awaiting the fights!

[nemesisnsir]

My personal favorite book of all time. Hope this show doesn't disappoint.

[CaveWyatt]

Let’s not overstate the situation. I’m very concerned that IMDB only lists James Clavell with writing credit in 3 episodes. That gives Disney 7 more to make a complete mess of it. And that is something they’ve become very good at. We’ll see how this ends up.

[gunneratijuf]

Yabu was my favorite character from the book. Asano is killing it. I was worried Yabu as a character wouldn’t translate well to a new adaptation but I’m ecstatic so far.

[sandrashimazu]

Hi Dillion, Thank you for great review on Shogun. I did not know what to expect since I absolutely loved the 1980 original when it first aired. All my friends were in love with Mariko (Yoko Shimada) and Blackthorn (Richard Chamberlain). Who could top Toshiro Mifune as Toranaga? Yet I have to admit, I am hooked on this new series. Hiroyuki Sanada brings a deeper dimension to Toranaga, and what a joy to watch Tadanobu Asano as Yabushige. I have not been this excited about a mini series since the 1980 Shogun!
Great job on your channel, Dillion!

[mattsoca]

Actually, a small correction. Mariko was not of noble birth. To be specific, anyone born of the Samurai Class is not "noble". The nobles in Japan were the actual "royals", such as the Emperor. They were an immensely tiny population above the Samurai class. In turn, the Samurai owe their creation to the nobles who used the initial samurai in various capacities such as bodyguards, police, administrators, etc.

[mAN]

This series is so promising, the only thing i have trouble with is the blur or focus effect they use. 2:42 everything is completely out of focus except for his face, which is of course intended. But when reading subtitles against a blurry background i found myself having a headache after the first episode and haven't watched the second yet, i plan to do so but still wish they didn't use this focus effect.

[CarringtonMorgan]

I watched this show last night and my favorite is Mariko. Seeing some shots of her using a naginata in a trailer is giving off Mizu vibes from Blue Eye Samurai. I think Mariko and Mizu could be friends.

[djmikio]

In my oppinion this entire episodic storytelling medium was crafted with the idea of viewers having a break in between episodes to process, to digest, and yes to impatiently anticipate the following chapter. I'm not even sure if people can fully invest in the characters in the same fashion if they binge-watch, so when I hear you or other reviewers express annoyance at the wait I just say "Working as designed. I'm hooked as well, isn't it fantastic?" 😉

[cinemarchaeologist]

Got to agree it's pretty good so far. The show has already done some of the things from the book that the original mini couldn't afford to do. The character Yabushige seems a lot closer, here, to how I remembered him in the book too.

I've sort of been concerned about its treatment of Mariko since the original trailer arrived, and--early though it is--it looks like the show is, indeed, going to go down that unfortunate "girl-boss"-y path those early glimpses indicated. Too much of that will really decimate how that character developed/was revealed over time in the book, particularly--not to offer any spoilers--what happens later.

[renerene]

This series was the spark during my childhood that made me subconsciously love Asia and probably the reason I live in Hong Kong for the last 30 years

[manse]

so far looks great, love they speak in Japanese.. Japanese with authentic Japanese actors, and producers, grat cinematography!!

[jefferyzimmerman]

If you go to the series menu, there is an English dub option if you struggle with subtexts.

[DionysianLovecraftian]

It's good that they want to focus on the Japanese more now in the new series where as the 80s rendition was way too centered around Blackthorne's perspective. The book gives both sides an even split.